Friends become Family, Holmes Christmas
by Pakmai
Summary: James Bond and his new Quartermaster have become more than just colleagues, tentative friends perhaps. So when Bond finds out Q is unhappily going home for Christmas, he invites himself along for the ride. Companion story to Holmes Family and Friends Christmas. Bond/Q (00Q), Post-Skyfall, slash. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**And here is my first chapter to the other side of this story! Some chapters between the two may overlap or be the same, I'll have to see how it all works out. This is sort of a new concept for me, I've never tried anything like this before. Hope you all enjoy!**

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Q senses more than sees the agent that comes up behind him. It's early on Christmas Eve and the young Quartermaster is the only one in Q-branch. That is as he expected it though. Working Christmas Eve was voluntary, and while a lot of the Q-branch employees don't have a family, a lot of them do. Still, there's no reason for them to come in yet, most of the double-oh's and other agents are either in limbo for the holidays or back in London. For his part, Q has to go to a family function as well, so that's why he's trying to finish everything up so that he can at least feel a little comfortable with leaving.

"007, you're back early from Japan." Q says without turning around. He's standing at his desk at the front of Q-branch, looking at the five different screens that are currently displaying different sets of information.

Bond smirks a little. "There's no fooling you." he says with amusement. He's been visiting Q branch more often since Skyfall, intrigued by the enigmatic Quartermaster who seems so aloof. And yet he can return the banter with an ease and playfulness that Bond has never experienced before. The smooth, posh voice in his ear during missions is one that Bond trusts implicitly, and one he's gotten quite used to. Watching him in his element, with his minions around him, standing at his station taking in and going over several screens all at once, while moving gracefully, fingers flying over the keyboard. It was impressive, even as he maintained verbal commands either to his minions or to whatever double-oh he was guiding at the moment. More than once, Bond would merely stand and watch the young man who reminded him of a conductor of some private symphony.

"Wonderful wit as always, Bond." Q says dryly as he continues going over the information. "What brings you to my domain at this ungodly hour?" He asks even though it's only 7am, one hand still moving as he reaches over and picks up his Scrabble mug full of Earl Grey that he didn't even look at.

"I obeyed orders. I got in last night, but no one was here for me to return my equipment to, so I went through medical, debriefed, slept, showered, and then came back here. Imagine my surprise when I was going to go work out some, and saw the light on, as it were. Tell me it's an early morning and not a late night, Q." Bond says the last in a slightly disapproving tone, not liking the idea of the young Quartermaster staying up all night. He cares too much, works too hard, and doesn't eat enough as it is.

Q snorts a little. "You? Obeying orders for once? It's a Christmas Miracle." he says with sarcasm in his voice, before he takes a deep breath, finishing what he was doing, and then pulls a tray out of his desk. "Let's see it then. Equipment. How bad is it this time?" he asks, knowing it was supposed to just be a recon mission but with 007 one never knows.

A small smirk forms itself on Bond's face before he brings out the equipment he was given, a few scratches here and there but none the worse for the wear, shockingly enough. "Merry Christmas, Q." He jokes as he looks at the young man.

Trying to hide his shock by adjusting his glasses for a few moments, Q reaches out and picks up the equipment. "Are you telling me the only reason you attempted to return my equipment in one piece is because of Christmas?" He asks, giving Bond a scathing look, but there's no real heat behind it. Despite how much Bond frustrates him, he also challenges the young genius to think of ways he can create equipment that is less destructible. And he quite enjoys the comfortable banter they have, Bond's presence behind him in Q-branch comfortable. Even when Bond invades his office and sits on the edge of his desk just to bother him when he has nothing else to do, Q can't be mad at him.

Bond looks innocent, and promptly changes the subject so he doesn't have to answer that question. "What is our esteemed Quartermaster doing here so early on Christmas eve?" he asks curiously with a little smirk, leaning against the desk a little.

"I am hoping to finish this so that I can leave. I have to come in around 4pm on Christmas Day to relieve some of the minions, but I have managed to get just over 24 hours off, between today and tomorrow." He sighs a little. "I am obligated to spend Christmas with my family." he mutters in annoyance.

"You have a family?" Bond asks, surprised as he looks at Q. Something about the young man always struck him as being similar to his own situation.

With a roll of his eyes, the young Quartermaster gives Bond a scathing look. "Yes, I have a family. Two brothers, a mother, and an extended family. We don't speak much, but Mummy requires her sons to be there for Christmas." he says simply with a little sigh as he turns his attention back to his screens, one of them turning black as he finishes whatever was on it.

"Sounds.. nice." Bond admits quietly, looking around. "I've always spent Christmas either on a mission or at home getting bloody drunk." he says as he looks at Q for a few moments, before he smirks. "I have the perfect solution." he says mischievously. "I'll come with you." Any chance to learn more about the enigmatic Quartermaster.

Blanching, Q turns to stare at Bond for a few moments. "Pardon me?" He's trying to figure out if Bond is really doing what he thinks he's doing, inviting himself to Q's family Christmas.

"I'll come with you to your family Christmas. Surely it would be good for your family to know you have friends, and I'm sure you don't want me to spend my Christmas all alone, drowning myself in a bottle of Scotch." he points out, leaning toward Q with a little smirk as he watches the younger man.

Knowing that there is a very slim chance that Q will ever be able to dissuade the double-oh from this path, he hangs his head, giving a little sigh as he braces himself on the desk in front of him for a few moments. "You'll need a proper suit for Christmas Eve dinner, and the party. Other than that, you'll need an overnight bag. Christmas is casual wear, Mummy wouldn't mind if you were there in your pajamas. In fact, most of us usually are. You don't have to worry about presents. Since Mummy is expecting me to come alone, she'll understand." he says with a little shrug of one shoulder, before he pushes his glasses up, straightening and turning to face Bond squarely. "There is something else you need to know about my family." He glances around, and motions, turning to head into his office, crossing his arms as he waits for the agent to follow him. "Close the door, 007."

Bond is well and truly intrigued now, and he smirks, thinking about how fun this might be, he's finding out all sorts of things about the normally aloof Q already. Obediently, he follows Q into his office, closing the door behind him. "What is so horrible about your family that it has to be said behind closed doors?" he asks with amusement as he walks over until he's standing in Q's personal space.

With a small sigh, Q closes his eyes for a few moments before he takes a slow, deep breath. "My family is rather.. well off. I left when I was a teenager, and I rarely visit with them. I am.. a bit of a black sheep." he says simply as he looks up at Bond. "Also.. most of my family is.. very intelligent. You could say that we are a family of genius'. My elder brothers also have the ability to deduce someone, examine them in minute detail and extrapolate their life's story, quite accurately. They are quite obnoxious with it." he says in annoyance as he looks up at Bond. "If you come with me, you will not bring a gun." he says in a firm tone.

Bond softens a little as he watches the vulnerability in Q when he speaks about his family. It's obvious that Q feels out of place with his family, maybe even a little alienated. He's self-conscious about himself in comparison to his brothers, Bond notes, continuing to watch the young man. Nodding slowly to himself as he considers everything, before he steps forward, putting his hands on Q's upper arms, noting how small he is as he gives him a little squeeze. "I'll come with you, Q. I know how much it means for you to let me in. I'm used to these sorts of high end parties, schmoozing anyway." he says with a little smirk, rubbing Q's arms for a moment before he drops his hands to his sides. "When do we leave?" he asks finally, slipping his hands into his pockets. "And don't worry, I'll protect you from your big, bad brothers." He says with amusement, leaning toward Q a little, into his personal space again.

Clearing his throat, Q sighs, shoulders sagging in relief as he looks at Bond, letting a small smile grace his lips, before he checks the clock. "Two hours. Another hour and a half drive to the manor, and then the party begins at 5. That will give us enough time to get dressed and a nap, maybe the cook will be able to make us some quick lunch." he says quietly, considering it for a few moments.

Bond's eyebrows go up. "It will also give you plenty of time to give me the grand tour." he says with a smirk. "Well, I'd better let M know I'll be gone for the next day and get my bag sorted." he says with a little smirk.

Q nods a little, then he adds, "A car will pick us up outside at 9." he says imply as he looks at Bond.

"Don't you have to get your bag together?" Bond asks in surprise as he looks Q over for a few moments in his skinny jeans and his shirt, tie and cardigan like he normally wears.

Turning, Q moves over to a closet that Bond didn't even know was there, pulling out a clothing bag and a very small suitcase, "Tadaa." He jokes with a slight smirk as he looks at Bond for a few moments. "Thank you, Bond." He says slowly, before he adds, "Just be sure not to tell them anything about our real job, only my eldest brother has clearance to know about it, and that spying git will not hear a word of it from my own mouth." He says with a small frown, actually sounding a bit coarse for once, which makes Bond chuckle a little.

"Why Q, you're a bit of a spitfire when you're upset, aren't you?" Bond asks with amusement as he watches Q, then he adds, "Maybe on the car ride to this manor of yours, you can tell me your real name. Wouldn't do to be calling you Q the entire time." he says with amusement. "I'll see you at 9, Quartermaster." He says, turning and waving before he heads out of the office.

Q sighs, hanging his suit bag back up before he pulls his cell phone out, pausing before he slips in his Bluetooth headset and dials the number, returning to his work as he waits for the inevitable answer.

"Mummy. Yes, it's me. Yes, I'm still going to be there at the same time. I just wanted to tell you I'd be bringing a friend with me. Yes, yes he'll be staying. Thank you, Mummy.."

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**Oh, and if anyone has any idea for Bond/Q gift exchange, or what Bond could have brought Q back from Japan, please message me, I'm horrible with thinking up those things! Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

One minute after 9am, Q emerges from the MI6 building to see a sleek black car waiting for him. He has his suitcase and garment bag, sighing a little when he sees no 007. "Of course." He mumbles softly as he moves to the car, just about to put his bag in the back when he sees that it's got another small suitcase and bag in it already, surprising the young genius. Recovering himself, he takes a deep breath and after closing the boot before he goes to get in the door, now unsurprised to see that Bond is sitting there waiting for him with a glass of scotch.

"Do try not to get drunk tonight, Bond." Q says with a touch of annoyance, running a hand through his hair as he looks out the window as they start to drive out of London.

Bond merely chuckles. "You were almost late, Q. The driver was kind enough to tell me this was the right car. Afterall, it was a little suspicious, sitting outside MI6 like that." he says with amusement. "And don't worry, Q. One drink is hardly enough to get me drunk. You look like you could use one to help you relax. Are you even old enough to drink?" he asks with a more playful tone to his voice as he watches the younger man.

Closing his eyes for a few moments, Q sighs and takes a slow, deep breath. "Yes, Bond, I am quite old enough. And you should probably start calling me by my real name. Ford." He says as he looks over at Bond, daring him to make some comment about his name.

"That's your real name? Ford? No wonder you prefer to go by Q." Bond muses with a small smirk, finishing his drink and setting the tumbler in the little cup holder that's made for it.

Q glowers a little. "My real name actually is Sherrinford Michael Holmes. I prefer Ford." He explains, slouching a little in his seat, pulling out his cell phone for a moment and fiddling with it before he slips it back into his pocket, rubbing his hands against his thighs for a few moments in his nervousness, letting down a few of his guards around Bond when normally he would not be seen as anything less than cool, calm and collected.

After watching Q for a few moments, and growing slightly frustrated with his fidgeting, Bond reaches over and puts one of his hands on top of Q's. "Sherrinford is an unfortunate name." he agrees before he smirks. "I can see why you prefer Ford." he notes as he continues to watch the younger man, giving his hand a little squeeze. "I can't imagine your family being so bad as to make you this nervous, Q. It will be alright." he says quietly, not used to offering sympathy or reassurance like this, but he's doing the best he can.

A small, faint smile crosses Q's face as he slides his green eyes sideways to look at Bond curiously. "Thank you, Bond. James." He says, hesitating over the name for a few moments, before putting his free hand over Bond's and giving it a little squeeze before he moves it back to where it was. "You should get used to calling me Ford, at least from now until we come back to London." he says quietly. "In case anyone asks, I work IT for an insurance firm. To make it easier to remember, we should say we work together. With your charm, you would do best to be an insurance agent. I don't suppose you know anything about insurance?" he asks curiously, then he waves his hand. "No matter, we can do the proper research once we get to the manor." He says quietly, sounding weary still as he looks out the window.

For Bond, it was odd to see his Quartermaster looking so weak and drained. He was always so firmly in control of himself and his surroundings. This side of Q, oddly enough, just made him want to take the younger man in his arms and hold him. Of course, as soon as that thought crossed his mind, he pulled back his hand and tried to focus on what the younger man was telling him. "Yes, that's the standard cover that M.. the former M, liked to use. I know enough about it to get by." he says quietly as he looks over at Q. "I've had to do this before. Not.. meeting families and such, but going out into the real world to schmooze without letting them know my real job. Like I said, this won't be my first party." he says with amusement, folding his hands in his lap and stretching out his legs the best he can in the car.

Silence falls on the two in the car for a few moments, though Q seems uncomfortable, fidgeting before rubbing his hands on his pants again. "There is one other thing. Since plans changed so late, I'm afraid that the sleeping accommodations are going to become.. awkward." He says as he looks over at Bond almost shyly. "As big as the house is, it will be full of guests for the evening. Which means you and I will have to share a room." He says as he watches Bond carefully, his words cautious and nervous, not sure how Bond might react to that news. Though he has a feeling he's distinctly more nervous about this than Bond ever would be.

James smirks a little as he looks over at Q. "My, my.. Ford.. If I didn't know better, I'd say that you were deliberately trying to get me into bed." He nearly purrs as he teases the younger man, enjoying the way his cheeks flushed red, before he waves a hand slightly. "Its fine, Q." he says quietly, smirking a little. "I've slept in worse places than on a posh carpet, or on a sofa. Of course, if you don't mind, we could share the bed. I'm sure you have a bigger bed than a double." he says with another smirk.

Both embarrassed and feeling slightly foolish now, Q looks away from the older, handsome agent, and tries not to think about the two of them sharing a bed. Yes, of course, Q has had a bit of a crush on 007, but that's all it is. Bond is unattainable, and even if by some miracle he rated sharing a bed with Bond in a sexual manner for a night, that's all it would be, would be a night. And Q knows better than most that if you scratch that itch, it's not going to go away. It's just going to get worse until you scratch yourself raw. And Q has too much self-respect and self-control to go down that road. So despite their playful banter and flirting, Q remains aloof and detached when it comes to Bond. Or any of the double-oh's for that matter.

"Well, I'm sure you would sleep better, considering you rarely seem to sleep on a mission without a warm body next to you. Perhaps I will not share a bed with you, I wouldn't want to wake up being groped the next morning when you thought there was a woman next to you." Q points out playfully but in his usual droll, calm tones, sounding utterly uninterested.

With a slow smirk, Bond watches Q, shifting his position to face the younger man a little more. "Are you sure? It might get cold in that big mansion of yours, sharing body heat would be the most effective way to stay warm. I wouldn't mind wrapping myself around you.." he purrs in his usual seductive tones, looking Q over slowly and lowering his eyelids a little to give him a more seductive look.

Not being able to help himself, Q just laughs a little. "So that is how you seduce all those women? With a look and cheesy pickup lines?" He asks with amusement, shaking his head. "I'll have you know that I would be a much more difficult mark. Of course, I have the wrong bits and bobs for a ladies' man like you." he points out with a little smirk.

Now this provides a challenge of course, and Bond sits up a little straighter, eyes opening all the way to pin Q with his piercing stare. "Oh, I wouldn't be so confident about that, Q. I've enjoyed myself with members of both sexes. Being a double-oh requires a certain amount of flexibility. And I've always been flexible, I admire male and female forms both. The men merely don't make the reports as often, as the higher ups at MI6 tend to be traditionalists. No need to rock the boat over something like that." he says with a little smirk as he continues to watch the young, naive man sitting next to him. "But I assure you, I could give you a night to remember."

A slow flush creeps up over Q's cheeks again as he stares at Q for a moment, licks his lips, and then looks away slowly, so as to try and seem unaffected. "Yes, well. I've never been one for one-night stands, so I would suggest you not try anything, Bond." he says as he glances over at the double-oh again.

"Well, you're just making this sound like an intriguing challenge, Q. This will be an interesting night afterall, I think." Bond says with a light laugh, already making plans in his head of how he might be able to seduce his quartermaster. Afterall, if Bond were to ever have a relationship, who better to have it with than his Quartermaster?

This, Q realized, was not going to plan, and it was starting to worry Q a little. What had he just gotten himself into?

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**Annnnndd.. that's chapter 2! Little flirtiness there. Bond is incorrigible. ;) And again, if anyone has suggestions for the gifts they got for eachother, please message me! Reviews welcome!**


	3. Chapter 3

Thankfully the rest of the ride was in silence, though Q was tense and a little stressed about pretty much everything about these two days. He keeps having to remind himself that it's only two days. Finally, the car pulls through the gates, and Q sighs a little as he looks out at the tree-lined lane, hedges just behind them and various other bits of what in the summer would be beautiful gardens, all leading up to a circular driveway around a central fountain, shut down because of the colder temperatures, but well maintained. There's a small overhang in front of the door, but luckily they don't need that, and Q doesn't wait for the chauffer to open the door for him, he just gets out, looking around with a little sigh. He goes to grab the suitcase and such out of the trunk, looking at the chauffer. "I prefer to carry my own things, thanks." He says quietly.

Bond gets out after allowing the driver to open the door for him, looking around for a few moments. "You grew up here?" he asks, surprised. It's one thing to say your family is wealthy, another to realize its Old Money. He allows the driver to take his things out of the boot, then he takes it from him. "Thank you." He says politely with a nod, before he follows the reluctant Q toward the door.

"Yes, Bond. I grew up here. It was cold, and oppressive." Q says as he looks around, and by the time they get to the door, it's been opened by an older man who appears to be a butler. He is also the first person that Q seems actually happy to see. He grins a little at the older man. "Charles! What a surprise, I thought you had retired ages ago." he says as he steps forward and shakes the man's hand.

Charles the butler takes Q's hand and smiles. "Master Ford. I am very pleased to see you here." He pauses for a moment, then smiles. "Retire, sir? No. Never, what would I do with myself?" he scoffs, shaking his head for a few moments before he looks at James expectantly.

"James Bond." The older agent introduces himself quickly, holding out his hand to the butler and shaking it firmly. He opens his mouth to say something more but is quickly cut off by a hasty Q.

"He's a friend from work, Charles. He didn't have anyone to spend the holidays with, so I decided to invite him to keep me sane here." He says with another smile.

Shaking the older man's hand, Charles looks over at him with an appraising eye and smiles. "Of course, sir. If you don't mind me saying, you could do much worse." he says in a quieter tone toward Ford, before he looks at Bond. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bond. I am Charles as you may have gathered, the butler of the house." He closes the door behind them, then motions toward the stairs. "Let me show you to your room, sirs. Master Sherlock and his friend aren't due to arrive for an hour, and of course Master Mycroft is already here with his assistant." He smirks a little as he looks back at Bond and Q as he heads up the stairs slowly.

Q turns an interesting shade of red at Charles' insinuation, but he doesn't give it any credence by making any sort of reply, he just glares at Charles for a moment, though it's only half-hearted. He starts following him up the stairs, not looking at anything other than the stairs.

Bond, on the other hand, looks around at the rich woods, tasteful carpets and potted plants, everything screaming taste and money. And along the walls of the stairs are pictures of the family, older family members toward the bottom, surprisingly, but as they reached the top of the stairs, he stopped to look at the family portraits, taking in the similarities in appearance between the three brothers, though it seems only Q came through with the poor eyesight. Then again, with his tinkering and interest in computers maybe that had something to do with it. Realizing he was falling behind, he turned and caught up with the other two in a few quick strides, looking around at everything. Finally, Charles stopped before a door, "Everything has been prepared for you. There are fresh towels, and some spare pillows and blankets in the closet.. if you'll need them." he says with a little smirk as he glances between the two.

Q blushes a little, and stiffens. "Charles." he reprimands softly before he steps into the room, sighing a little as he walks over to hang his garment bag on the wardrobe, opening it to let the clothes breathe, taking his toiletry bag out of his suitcase to put it in the en-suite bathroom.

Bond lingers outside for a few moments, peeking into the room before he smiles in his charming way at the butler. "I imagine you've known Ford all his life. Any advice?" he asks, tipping his head slowly toward the room with a little smirk.

Charles chuckles a little. "Mmm. I see that Master Ford is still as shy as always. He's never been the most popular child unfortunately. If there is something you're interested in, Mr. Bond, you may have to be willing to be patient." he says simply as he looks at the man. "I am glad to see that Master Ford has someone who cares for him so obviously. Oh, don't deny it, you can't fool an old man, I can see how protective you are of him." he says before he winks. "You'd better get in before the young master suspects anything." He says with a slight smirk.

Bond chuckles a little and he nods, clapping the older man on the shoulder. "Thank you, Charles." He says with a nod before he steps inside the room, closing the door behind him before he takes in everything. The room was a decent sized, and obviously hadn't been touched except perhaps to clean, since Q left. With a small chuckle, Bond takes in the desk which has a computer and three monitors on it, plus the partial guts of a computer along one side. "Well, I certainly hope Q-branch can provide you with something a little better than that." he says as he nods toward it, smirking as he hangs up his garment bag as well, catching Q coming back out of the bathroom. He finally removes his suit jacket and hangs it up over the back of the desk chair, slowly loosening his tie as he moves over to look out the window at the back yard, finally turning to look at Q, and then his eyes slide slowly over to the bed. "Just as I thought.. plenty of room." He says as he walks over to it, stretching out along one side.

It is really not fair how comfortable Bond can be anywhere he chooses, Q muses to himself, having gotten a glass of water from the bathroom. "Mmm. That was the first computer I built." He says as he walks over to it, trailing his fingers over the keyboard caressingly. "I spent hours in here by myself, tinkering.." he says with a fond little smile before he looks over at Bond slowly, blushing lightly as he looks the agent over, admiring the fit of his shirt for a moment before he clears his throat and nods. "Quite." He says in response to the bed comment, averting his eyes to fiddle with a few things on his desk.

"I suppose we should get some rest before the party." Q says as he pulls out his cellphone, sitting down to remove his shoes with one hand as he fiddles with his cellphone with the other. "The parties tend to run a little late." He says before he considers. "I'll give you a tour before the party." He offers as he looks over at Bond, removing his cardigan and tie and tossing them toward his suitcase before he resolutely heads toward the other side of the bed, determined to not let Bond put him off sleeping in his own bed. "I've set my alarm for 1. That can give us a few hours of sleep, we can get something to eat while I give you the tour, then come back and dress for the party." He says matter-of-factly as he sits on the edge of the bed, putting his cellphone on top of his nightstand before he removes his glasses slowly, pulling his pillow out from beneath the comforter before he lies down on top of the covers, focusing blearily on Bond.

This is pretty amusing for Bond, watching Q in his old room. He knew the Quartermaster was posh, but hearing him talk about big balls and parties, tour of manors and things like that just amuses Bond. While he listens to Q, he removes his shoes, and tie, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt before tossing his tie aside. "I could go for a few hours' rest." he says quietly with a small smirk. "I'm sure Medical will be happy I'm taking it easy for a few days." he says before he shuffles down on the bed, turning on his side to watch Q. "I am looking forward to this, Ford." he uses his real name softly, watching the younger man in front of him. "You really do have gorgeous eyes, I've never noticed because you hide them behind those awful glasses." He notes as he reaches out and brushes a wave of his hair away from his forehead slowly.

Q blinks a few times, before he looks away, lashes hiding his eyes from Bond's scrutiny. "Well. Yes. I see. Thank you, James." He says before he shifts over to lie on his back, but that's not really a natural sleeping position with him so he continues to fidget a little as he closes his eyes, trying to get comfortable.

"Bloody hell, Q. Relax." he says scoldingly before he props himself up on an elbow, deciding to be a little more aggressive, he reaches across Q to grab his opposite wrist, pulling swiftly so that Q rolls onto his side, releasing his hand so that it rests between them, before he reaches out and manhandles the clearly shocked young genius so that they are close to eachother on the bed. "I don't know about you, but I sleep better with someone close to me." he says, resting a hand innocently on the other man's waist.

Although this is not normally something that he would allow, it seems that Q is a little too shocked to do anything, and lets himself be manhandled into laying close to Bond, face to face with him, their legs nearly brushing, their breath mingling between them. "I'm not sure this is entirely appropriate, James." He says quietly, not being able to help continuing to use the double-oh's first name. It feels good to say it, and Q has to admit that this is a little bit of a fantasy, not that he would ever tell Bond that. The man has a big enough ego as it is, and Q has noticed he has the wrong parts to necessarily attract Bond's attention.

"We're off the clock, Ford. We're in your very private room, at your parents' house. Relax." he says quietly, rubbing slowly up and down the side of his back gently, just trying to soothe the younger man. Of course it does make him feel a little bit smug when he sees his eyes drooping and feels him relax slowly. "Sleep well, Ford." He murmurs, kissing his forehead before he shifts a little closer, resting his head slightly above Q's, keeping one arm draped around him. Just a few hours of sleep, holding his frankly adorable Quartermaster.

And this little two-day vacation had just begun. Oh, yes, this was going to be fun.

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**You guys have inspired me to write so much, so first and foremost, thank you for that! To my reviewer, thank you as well. I was really worried about how the banter would come across, if I would do it justice.**

**I need to get caught up on my companion story, I am about to go work on that one now! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Bond finds himself sleeping as well, but he never was one for naps, and this place is too unfamiliar for him to sleep comfortably. The slightly squeaking wheels of a cart and footsteps outside the door wake him up, though they continue on down the hall. It's then that he makes a rather interesting discovery though. Somehow, he and Ford have changed positions. His arm that was previously trapped underneath him is now extended to the side, acting as a pillow for Q's head. That explains the numbness in his hand at least. Bond's other hand is curled around the younger man's waist, and all he has to do is lower his head a little to take in the surprisingly fruity smell of Q's shampoo. When he finally pinpoints the scent he's surprised to find out that it is a bit like mango, and it makes bond smile. Taking a slow, deep breath, he enjoys the smell and nuzzles into the curls lightly, not wanting to wake the younger man just yet.

This was going to be a long night for Q, Bond was sure, and so he didn't want to do anything that would ruin the peaceful rest he was getting now. During their first meeting, there was a spark between the two of them. Q never spoke about any romantic interest, he never spoke about his personal life in general. When Q was in his ear on missions, there was flirting and friendly banter. It was easy when you weren't face-to-face with someone. But when they were back at HQ, things were not exactly the same. That is, the flirting might still be there on Bond's part, but mostly Q would react with exasperation, even if he did blush sometimes. It was fairly frustrating to Bond.

And yet, when Bond basically forced his company on Q for Christmas, but in the end Q didn't seem to mind. He's confided in Bond even, let him see more of himself than anyone else at MI6. At least, voluntarily. Bond is fairly sure that some of the others at MI6 such as M might know more about Q. As far as the double-oh could tell, the young Quartermaster had not opened up to anyone, not even Eve, the way he has to Bond. And now to fall asleep trustingly with Bond, even cuddled up to him as he ended up being. He knew that it was a sign he had Q's trust, and that was the most amazing thing.

He'd never been trusted so much by someone before. And it went without saying that, on or off the mission, Bond trusted Q as well. Inside, he knew that there was more to it. He wanted Q for his own. It was a selfish part of him, but now, he admits to himself that he does have a selfish streak that does not like hearing the way Q talks other double-oh's through their missions.

Yes, he did want more from his Quartermaster than friendship or easy banter. With a little smirk, he decides that it's time he found a way beneath the young man's armor. And now is as good a time as any to start. A small smile crosses Bond's face again before he tilts his head forward and kisses the top of his head, shifting a little to be able to get better access, he then brushes a kiss across his temple softly, his one arm starting to stroke up and down Q's back gently, drawing little designs, though he stops short of sliding his hand up under the shirt. No need to shock the young man when he wakes, no matter how much he might want to see if that pale skin is as soft as it looks. For now, he brushes soft kisses across what available skin he has, his temple, his cheekbone, along his neck and once on his shoulder, though that's a bit of a stretch for him to manage without jostling the younger man too much.

All the gentle attention was bound to wake Q up eventually, but he didn't startle awake, he started to become aware slowly. It had been a long time since he woke up in another man's arms, especially feeling so safe and.. loved. But that can't be right. He isn't involved with anyone, hadn't been for quite some time, so why was he.. oh. He did fall asleep next to another man, but surely the strong arms around him and under him couldn't belong to Bond. There's just no way. And so he keeps his eyes closed, deciding to keep his delusions for the moment, but as he becomes more and more awake, and the feeling of firm lips against his skin doesn't go away, he's starting to get a little worried. And then he takes a deep breath, taking in the scent of Bond's subtle but very expensive cologne, and he takes a moment to press closer to that smell before he leans back a little, opening his eyes to look up at Bond, unfocused because of his lack of glasses, but he can see enough to make out that it is indeed the double-oh he thought it was.

"James.. what on earth are you doing?" Q asks with his usual calm, detached tone, even if he sounds a little sleepy. The only difference between that and the voice Bond might hear on missions is the use of his first name. Which is a small victory.

The double-oh just chuckles a little. "Indulging myself, and hopefully giving you a pleasant wake up." He says simply in his deep, slightly rough tones as he looks at the young genius.

Q shifts a little, before he slowly sits up, stretching a little before he runs a hand through his hair, arms draping over his bent knees afterwards. "Don't try and seduce me, Bond. I'm not some conquest, some another notch for your bedpost." he says as he glances over at James, then he looks around, huffing a little as he looks around his room.

Slowly, James sits up as well, wiggling his fingers to get feeling back in them before he watches the man in front of him, who suddenly seems as young as he sometimes teases Q of being. Slowly, he moves until they're sitting side by side, shoulders and knees pressed together. "You wouldn't be another conquest, Q." He says softly, then he adds, "You are my friend, my Quartermaster." he says with a small shrug of his shoulders. "And lets face it, you're a bloody tease." He grumps good-naturedly, looking around the room. "Flirting with me all the time on missions, then when I come home, you're such a cold fish. You shut me down at every turn." He notes, then he shifts, placing one hand on the bed behind Q so he can lean over him lightly, leaning in to give his shoulder a light kiss. "Though I wouldn't mind shagging, either. You have a frankly fuckable arse." he says as he looks Q over appreciatively, then he shrugs. "Nice as that would be, it's not entirely what I want from you, Q. You're at the beginning of a bright career. Who knows how many years I have left to mine. We are a mismatched pair in almost every way, I realize that. Unfortunately, I still want this, down to my bones." He murmurs quietly, leaning in to place a tender kiss along the nape of Q's neck, just a small affectionate gesture and not anything else.

As always, Q's mind works everything over, getting into all the different angles as he tilts his head down and hides his face against his arms for a moment, then he shakes his head. "I don't know, Bond. I've.. It's hard for me to trust people. Especially ones who have the reputation for being playboys." he notes, smirking over at Bond for a few moments. "James, I.. it's not that I'm not.. well, it would be bloody fantastic, I admit I may have thought about it once or twice-" Or a fair few more times than that, but who's counting? "-but I don't know. I'm bloody scared." He says as he glances over at James again.

"Then let me have these two days. Until we return to London, to convince you. If I can't, then we'll return to business as usual. No harm, no foul. But if I do convince you, well.. we'll see where things go when we get back." Bond bargains as he watches Q, and he shakes his head. "Please don't make me beg for this chance, Ford.." He says quietly, purposely using his first name even though he will always be 'Q' to 007.

Another hesitation, thinking it over and trying to figure out if it could be worth it. Finally, Q nearly smacks himself in the face. This is James Bloody Bond in front of him, wanting to seduce him, or romance him, court him, all of the above likely. The sexy agent who has no trouble seducing any woman he wants, let alone any man. Handsome, powerful, and with a voice that sometimes goes straight to Q's groin. Oh, yes, he would be a fool not to at least give Bond the opportunity to prove himself.

"Alright, James. You have until we return to London." Q finally says softly.

"Wonderful." James breathes in relief before leaning in and brushing a surprisingly soft, chaste kiss across Q's lips.

"You won't regret this. I will make you wonder how you ever doubted me."

* * *

**Well, that ended up differently than where I intended for it to go when I started it. Apparently 007 had his own ideas of where he wanted the story to go. This could be interesting, between Bond trying to prove himself, and Sherlock performing some experiments on John. Check out my Sherlock story for the Johnlock side. :) I hope you all are enjoying this, I am loving writing both sides of this story. And I may even do a Mycroft version eventually, but I can't manage three stories at once, that would be a bit too much!**

**Anyway, I'm going to try and update one chapter every night after work. We'll see how well that works out for me. If anyone has comments/suggestions, I'd love to hear them!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Apologies in advance, this chapter is much longer than I anticipated, and again, did not get as far as I had hoped! None of the characters are obeying my plans recently.**

**bearsrawesome - They will meet John, Sherlock and Mycroft here in a chapter or two, and maybe if I am feeling very ambitious, I will get more than my planned one chapter done tomorrow. Thank you so much!**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Rating may have to go up a tad bit soon, Bond is being.. well.. Bond. :D**

* * *

Afterwards, Bond decides to give Q a little room to get himself back in order, he wouldn't want to overwhelm his quartermaster afterall. Remaining in the room, but he moves away, busying himself by unpacking the rest of his bag into the empty wardrobe, deftly hiding the presents that he got for Q in Japan. He does leave out the hostess present he got for Mrs. Holmes, hoping that the shawl is to her liking. He hangs up his shirts, pants, etc, and smirks when he looks at the 'casual' clothes that he brought with him, a shirt and jeans for Christmas morning. He figures if he can be casual anytime, it will be then.

Q has escaped the bed as well, and he went over to the wall to pull a cord gently, waiting by the door until there's a knock. When he opens it, Charles is on the other side, and Q asks if the cook can make them anything to tide them over until dinner, and asks for earl grey for himself and coffee for Bond. And of course after watching so many missions through CCTV or security cameras, plus hearing the orders through earpieces, he knows how Bond takes his coffee.

When the older butler leaves again, Q takes a deep breath, rubbing a hand over his face and leaning back against the door before he watches Bond for a few moments. "After Charles brings back something to eat, would you like the grand tour? We'll still have a few hours to kill before we need to start getting ready." He says as he watches Bond nervously, walking over to what used to be his desk, picking up a few parts and starting to fiddle with them almost unconsciously, before he puts them down and goes over to his bag, which unintentionally also brings him closer to Bond.

James decides to take advantage of this situation, turning to look at Q and he smiles a little. "No, I don't want the grand tour. I could care less about ninety percent of this house." He says dismissively, shaking his head as he looks around the room slowly. When his sharp blue eyes return to Q, he notices the younger man looking back at him curiously. Taking a slow step closer in order to gauge Q's response to him, he offers a little smile, before reaching out and pushing Q's glasses back up his face slowly, before brushing his hand over his hair slowly. When he speaks his voice is soft and gentle. "I want to see the places you went to as a child. All your secret places you would hide or play." He says quietly, cupping Q's cheek for a moment.

The touch makes Q catch his breath a little for a moment, and he is trapped by those blue eyes, helplessly looking into them, before he just nods a little, unable to stop himself from turning his head slightly into Bond's warm, calloused hand, taking a deep breath before he manages to find his voice. "Alright. I suppose it's just as well I'll have time to think, I don't know that I had that many hiding spots. I spent most of my alone time in this room." he says quietly with a little shrug, finally pulling away from Bond, retreating a few steps to unpack his bag into the other side of the wardrobe.

James can't help a small bit of satisfaction as he sees the way Q's pulse jumps in his neck at his touch now, but he lets the younger man escape, smirking a little as he walks over to the computers. "You must have had some secret places where not even that butler of yours could find you." He says with a small chuckle. "I'll wager you had at least one place that will still be exactly the way you left it." He stands by the window, looking out at the yard below. "I know I had a few places I could go. The attic was my favorite." He says simply, "I never liked the house as a whole, but with the low ceilings, the attic felt like it was made just for me as a boy. There were windows on every side, I felt like a king in my fortress. The best thing was that I could pull up the ladder and no one would know I was there." he says with a small smirk, looking over at Q again, leaning casually against the wall.

After everything is unpacked, Q looks around for something else to do. Thankfully he doesn't have to find something else because there's a knock at the door and he moves to answer it, revealing Charles with a car. Quickly thanking the older man, Q brings the cart inside and he smiles. "Wonderful. Mable must still be the cook, she remembered that I'm so very fond of pastries." He admits, looking over the small plate and then another plate of sandwiches. He grabs up a danish with his tea, sitting on the edge of the bed and tearing off a bit of the pastry, humming in pleasure as he closes his eyes.

That is nearly too tempting a sight for Bond, to see Q enjoying food so sensually. Come to think of it, he's never seen the younger man eat anything, he's just always got that cup of bloody Earl Grey sitting next to him. Managing to restrain himself, Bond licks his lips and then moves over to the cart, picking up the cup of coffee there and taking a small sip. "I didn't realize you were so fond of pastries, Ford. I'll have to keep that in mind for my next trip to Paris." He says with a little smirk as he looks over at Q, then he picks up a few small sandwiches and joins Q sitting on the edge of the bed, less than a foot away, but at the same time not crowding into his personal space.

"I went to Paris a few times when I was younger, Mummy used to take us during the summer sometimes." Q admits softly as he thinks about it, looking down at the pastry in his hand before taking another bite. "I enjoy foods of all sorts though. I wish I had more time to cook. After I moved on my own, I lived on take away for a while until I learned to cook, and then it became a passion of mine, a way to unwind after a long day, or to distract my mind from whatever tangent it went on. I suffer from the same weakness as my brothers. Our minds are always working, no matter how highly organized they may be. We are always thinking, sometimes over thinking things." He says quietly, focusing on the cup and pastry in his hands. "It's hard to focus it, to quiet my mind sometimes. Cooking did that, coding does that..." He says as he tries to figure out if there's anything else that might do that.

It's too tempting, and James Bond is James Bond, so when Q starts talking about quieting his mind, he casually sips his coffee to wash down his bite of sandwich before he leans in, closer to Q's ear. "Does that mean that when we're shagging, your mind won't be focused on what I'll be doing to your body?" He asks in a somewhat breathless tone.

That question nearly causes Q to drop his tea, and even so, he gasps a little at the question and the tone, a visible shiver going down his spine. Licking his lips slowly, that incredible mind of his takes a few moments to recover before he's able to form a coherent sentence. "No.. that.. uh.. does tend to.. focus my mind." He says quietly, swallowing hard before he goes back to eating slowly, giving Bond a few nervous glances.

"Good to know." Bond says with a frankly mischievous smirk before he finishes his sandwiches, and continues to sip at his coffee, glad that Q doesn't object to the idea of them eventually having sex. Slowly, he gets up, moving over to snag another sandwich, eating it quietly before he considers. "I should probably change before we go on our tour, I seem to be a bit rumpled." He notes as he looks down at his wrinkled shirt and trousers, smirking a little over at Q. "You, too." he says as he looks over the quartermaster.

With a small blush still on his face, Q looks down at himself and hums as he chews on his bite of pastry. "It seems you're right, Bond. Heaven forbid either of my brothers see us like this. They would be appalled, and no doubt think we truly were shagging each other's brains out for the last few hours instead of the innocent nap it was." Slowly rolling his eyes, Q smirks a little at Bond, eating the last of his danish before putting his finger into his mouth to lick off the sweet icing.

And that proves just too much for Bond, who puts his mug aside, and in a stride is reaching out to grab Q's wrist once he pulls his finger out of his mouth. Slowly lifting the other's hand slowly, Bond makes sure that they lock eyes before he examines Q's hands, then takes his fingers slowly into his own mouth, one by one. The double-oh swirls his tongue slowly around the digit, sucking gently to clean them, ending with his thumb, slowly releasing the fingers from his warm mouth, he lowers Q's hand, waiting for a few moments before releasing his hand.

When his fingers first enter the agent's mouth, Q gasps a little, lips parting as he stares at him, feeling the rough tongue rubbing over the whorls of his finger pads. He can do little other than stare, not remembering a time when he's had a more sensual experience. He's had relationships before, of course, but they were all rather plain and traditional. Cuddling, hand holding, shagging of course, but nothing adventurous, nothing overly romantic, and definitely nothing like this. When his hand is finally released, Q gasps a little and stares at Bond, his mouth working for a few moments before he licks his lips slowly. "Right, then. Well.. thank you. I.. I think I'll just.. go get changed, then." He says nervously, getting up and collecting clothes before he retreats to the bathroom.

After Q is gone, Bond groans softly and sits heavily on the edge of the bed, trying to calm his body down. This is going to be torturous. He is having far too many impure thoughts about his quartermaster right at the moment. It seems that once he let one idea in, the floodgates opened. Of course, maybe they just need to get out of this bloody bedroom.

Making up his mind, he downs the rest of his coffee, and while Q is recovering, he walks to the wardrobe and strips down to his pants, dressing swiftly in another nice shirt and slacks, running a hand through his hair before he grabs a danish for himself and eats one quickly.

When Q comes out, he's slightly flushed still, but it looks like he had to splash some water on his face, edges of his hair a little damp, but otherwise he's put together. "Shall we go, then?" he asks as he looks at Bond, noticing that he's changed. Once he gets agreement, Q leads the way to the door, letting Bond out before closing it behind him, wishing he had some sort of lock for it but that is unfortunately not possible. Instead, he takes a deep breath and looks around. "Hopefully we can avoid my family until tonight." He muses before he starts to lead Bond down the hallway.

It's a little bit amusing for Bond to watch Q in this sort of environment. He definitely seems like the young man he once teased him about. He wasn't quite the confident and in control quartermaster that Bond is used to seeing. While he definitely knows where he's going, he'll pause, glance at something, listen for a few moments and then continue on, like a child that's afraid of getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar. They turned a corner in the maze-like house, heading up two flights of stairs that were obviously meant more for servants than for residents, until they came to a set of double doors.

"This was one of my favorite rooms as a child. Sometimes I was found here, but more often than not, I wasn't. It loses something in the winter, but the view is still stunning." Q prefaces before he opens the door and steps through into a huge greenhouse that at some point must have been built on top of the mansion, not seen from the ground. It looked like a park in some ways, pathways winding between areas of what were flower beds, bushes, trees even. In the center was an odd sort of area that didn't fit in with the rest of the decor. There was a large fire pit in the middle of the room, probably the only source of heat, with a big couch and two large chairs around it, along with a few lamps. Q looks around the room for a few moments, and he blushes lightly before he reaches out and takes Bond's hand slowly in his, leading him through the maze of pathways to the center where the couches and such were. "Most of the time I would take my laptop up here." He says with a slight smirk at Bond. "Or my homework, whatever I needed." He says thoughtfully as he sits down on the couch.

A small thrill goes through Bond when Q takes his hand, and he grins as he follows the younger man to the couch, sitting down and giving his hand a little squeeze, twisting his hand and meshing their fingers together as he sits comfortably. "This is a lovely spot." he says as he looks around. "It must be beautiful in the summer, I can see why you liked it so much." he says quietly as he looks around, tilting his head back a little to look up at the sky through the glass. "Where else did you used to hide away?" he asks as he looks at Q, not wanting to sit in one place too long. "Perhaps tonight we can come back here and look at the stars. Excellent snogging spot by the way." he says before he gets up, but doesn't let go of Q's hand.

With a small smile, Q nods a little. "There is one other place... It's more dangerous, we may run into one or more of my family, or more of the staff because it's on the lower floors." he says with a look of mischief in his eyes as he looks over at Bond, standing slowly so that they're facing each other. "Do you want to risk it?" he asks playfully.

"Ah.. there's the Q I know." Bond says quietly with a little chuckle, touching his cheek again briefly before he smirks, "I put my life in danger on a daily basis. I'm sure I can survive your relatives. Let's see how good your stealth skills are, my Quartermaster." he nearly purrs with a little grin.

The tone surprises a laugh out of Q, his free hand coming up to cover his mouth for a moment before he just grins.

"Challenge accepted, 007."


	6. Chapter 6

Sneaking downstairs was rather successful, since there was hardly anyone in the house and most of the staff were preparing the dining room or the ballroom, but enough were bustling around on the first floor that Q, in the lead of their little stealth op, paused at the bottom of the stairs until the coast was clear. He had yet to let go of Bond's hand though neither said anything about it, and as Q darted across into a hallway, he dragged the older man with him. It is a completely ridiculous thing for two grown men to do but neither seemed to mind, since Q was snickering and grinning a little, unable to hide his amusement, and Bond was more amused by the humor of his Quartermaster, though he took it just as seriously as the other man. He didn't want Q upset with him if he was the reason they were caught. If something like that made its way around MI6, that Bond couldn't even sneak around a manor house without getting caught, his reputation would be ruined!

When they were about to turn a corner, Q suddenly took a step back, using his free hand to grab Bond's shirt and pull him close as he was about to follow. His head was still turned toward the corridor listening to the rapid steps, not realizing how close he held Bond to him, while his back was at the wall. And even though they were of a height, the double-oh is much broader than Q, and hid him easily, especially with his free hand braced on the wall beside Q's shoulder.

Surprised, but pleased with this new turn of events, Bond leans a little closer, tempted to lean in and kiss that pale neck that is presented to him so deliciously. He brings up their joined hands slowly, pressing the back of his hand against the wall a little as he leans forward, wondering how far he can push this until Q realizes how he positioned them.

It doesn't take long, and Q glances sideways at Bond when he finds his hand up against the wall. He frowns a little as he sees the older man leaning closer. "James, this is neither the time nor the place." He hisses, but still hasn't let go of his shirt, and doesn't move away.

"You put me here, what am I to do until the threat has passed?" Bond whispers to Q, smiling a little before he leans in and drops one tender kiss on the other man's neck just a little bit below his ear.

Q's eyelids flutter for a moment, clearly enjoying the contact, before he recovers himself. "Bond." He whispers scoldingly again, "Someone is coming, would you please stop trying to distract me." He turns his head just a little to look at Bond, taking in his mischievous expression and just rolling his eyes.

The footsteps that Q had apparently heard or seen when he peeked around the corner are getting faster now. They are long strides, full of determination. When the taller, pale man with a mop of curly hair on his head and high cheekbones strides past with an umbrella in his hand and a pinched, worried expression on his face, Bond can't help but smirk a little and watch him walk down the hall for a moment, in his crisp shirt and trouser combination, but otherwise oddly.. barefoot.

"One of your brothers, I take it." James says as he turns his attention back to Q, examining his face, the same high cheekbones, the same mop of hair. There was definitely a family resemblance and he wondered if they took after their mother or their father, and if the other brother looked similar to them.

"Yes. That was Sherlock, the next eldest. Mycroft is the oldest." Q says quietly, peeking down the hallway to make sure he's gone before relaxing. "That was close. And rather odd. I wonder what happened. Probably Mycroft rattled him again, he does like to meddle, the git."

Bond laughs a little and then he smiles. "Good to have a face to put to a name.." He says quietly, leaning in and placing one more soft kiss near the base of Q's neck, trailing his nose upwards along his skin gently before he whispers into his ear. "We should probably go while the coast is clear." Before taking a step back from the younger man, glancing down pointedly at the hand in his shirt.

A shiver runs down Q's spine and his eyes close for a moment at the attentions, but then he follows Bond's gaze to his hand still fisted in the agent's shirt. Color rises on his cheeks to the tips of his ears as he stiffly removes his hand and nods. "My apologies, Bond." He says before he turns and swiftly moves through another two corridors, and up a set of stairs, where he has to stop again, frowning.

"What is it?" Bond whispers as he moves closer, thumb rubbing soothing circles on the younger man's hand as he tries to peek around the corner as well, quickly. Down the corridor two people are talking, a younger, very attractive woman in a skirt suit and high heels. Her hair is down, dark brown and perfectly styled, a small impish smile quirking just the edges of her lips, a Blackberry held between her hands. The taller man is in an impeccable 3 piece suit complete with pocket watch. He's obviously older, and just a bit rounder in face and midriff, his hair more auburn and shorter cut.

"That is Mycroft and his assistant Anthea. At least that is what he would like the world to believe. She is his assistant, but they've also been dating for years. She's completely devoted to him." Q provides as he peeks around the corner quickly again. In reply to Bond's curious look, Q sighs a little. "Sherlock and I take after our mother, Mycroft takes after our father."

"Mmm. You must have a very beautiful mother, then." Bond says with a little smirk as he allows himself to lightly brush his fingers along Q's cheek with his free hand.

In response, Q just huffs in annoyance, shaking his head for a few moments. "Mycroft cannot, under any circumstances, see us. But this is the only way to get to the place I want to go." He says in a frustrated tone. Luck seems to be with them however, since the two soon start walking down the hall, away from the hidden pair. Letting out a relieved breath, Q smiles a little as he looks at Bond. "Come on, quickly." He says before he moves on swift feet to the side of a staircase, looking over the rich wood paneling there for a moment before he reaches out and rotates a piece of woodwork, swinging the door open with a smirk. "All old houses have their secrets." he says before he ducks inside. It's a low passageway inside, and they both have to duck low.

Once Bond is inside, Q closes the door behind him, flipping the latch so that everything outside looks normal again, before he walks down the slightly dusty pathway to a larger room. It's in the corner of the house, two large windows shedding light on the room. Books and more computer equipment, along with several lamps and a cot fill the otherwise empty room. It's not a large room in comparison to the rest of the house, probably the size of one of the bathrooms. "When I was younger, I theorized that this was a sort of safe room where a family could hide." He says as he walks over to the window. "No one has ever noticed that there are more windows on the outside than you can get access from.

Bond looks around slowly and he chuckles quietly, not letting go of Q's hand so he has to follow him over to the cot, slowly sitting beside him and leaning back against the wall behind him. "This is perfect. I mean, for you. I can see you here, as a young boy, hiding away from the world. What did you pretend to be when you hid out here?" He asks as he looks over at him.

Matching Bond's position, Q looks around and he smiles. "Oh, all sorts of things.. Locked in quarantine, Zombie Apocalypse. Even once I believe I pretended to be a spy, in a safe house." He says teasingly as he looks over at Bond.

Laughing a little at the thought of a young Q pretending to be a secret agent, Bond grins a little. "Not quite as glamorous as you once imagined, is it?" he asks playfully, lifting their joined hands to kiss the back of Q's hand gently.

"Well. It's quite a bit different than I imagined, but some of it is just as glamorous. You cannot pretend that your fancy hotels, fancy suits, and beautiful women are not glamorous." Q points out as he looks at the double-oh next to him.

"Alright, alright. /Some/ of it is glamorous." Bond considers something for a few moments, frowning as he looks at Bond. "I want to make it clear.. if we.. pursue this relationship, Q.. There may be times where I'll still need to sleep with women in the field. I definitely won't have sex with them for no other reason than them being convenient.. especially if I have you to come home to." he says quietly as he looks at Q closely, wanting to make sure that the younger man understands the stakes.

Q sighs a little, closing his eyes and then nodding quietly. "I understand the stakes, Bond." he says quietly, closed down a little again, his face impassive, his voice flat again, the warmth and relaxation from a few moments ago gone. "You have to do whatever you have to do to complete your mission." Finally, he opens his eyes, looking over at Bond slowly. "It doesn't mean I'll like it, and it doesn't mean I would want to listen to it." he informs firmly, then adds, "And I certainly wouldn't want to smell another woman's perfume on you when you got back." He says in a firm tone and a slight sound of disgust.

The older agent can't help but laugh a little, and he snags Q around the waist, dragging him closer. "You're a jealous one, aren't you?" He asks, lowering his head to nuzzle into Q's neck softly, laughing lightly.

"Prat." Q accuses as he struggles against Bond for a moment, but the older man is stronger, plus Q has no leverage from this angle, so eventually he gives up, instead just thumping his forehead down on the other man's shoulder. "I haven't even agreed to any sort of relationship with you, James." He says weakly, his voice a little muffled.

Bond mmms a little against Q's skin, but he just continues to hold him. "I agree to your terms, Q. You don't have to like what I have to do.. whether it's sexual, me putting myself in danger, or destroying your gadgets. As long as it doesn't interfere with our jobs. And I promise that I'll take a very thorough shower before coming to visit you, if seduction becomes necessary." he says quietly, trying to soothe the younger man, but finding their position to be awkward. So with a little smirk, he slides a hand down and grabs Q's thigh, pulling it up and over, manhandling the lighter man so that he's straddling Bond's lap. "There... much more comfortable." He murmurs by way of explanation, just holding him.

Q lets out an undignified squeak when he's moved, blushing a little again. Slowly, he sits back, hands resting on Bond's shoulders. "Really, Bond. I know you are used to using your strength and physical brutality to get what you want, but you must stop manhandling me. I am not a rag doll." He objects as he watches him, trying very hard not to pout like a petulant child, but he's really quite annoyed and Bond is sitting there looking so damned smug.

The double-oh tries very hard not to laugh as he watches the younger man in his lap, for once his mind not going the sexual route first, he just rubs Q's upper arms gently for a few moments. "I apologize, Ford.." he murmurs softly, before he adds, "But would you have gotten yourself in this position if I had asked you to climb into my lap?" He asks with a little smirk. The blush on the quartermaster's cheeks and the way he looks away from James is more than enough answer. "That's what I thought." he says simply with amusement.

Clearing his throat to try and get himself back in order and to change the subject, Q looks around slowly, settling himself comfortably in Bond's lap before he says, "I think we need to talk about this.. potential.. relationship idea." he says quietly as he looks at Bond seriously.

Having been prepared for this eventuality when he brought it up, James nods a little. "Alright." He settles back against the wall, resting his hands on Q's hips just to have something to do with his hands, and because he really has no other places to put them other than on the younger man somewhere, or behind his head. And behind his head would not be comfortable. "What do you want to discuss?" he asks, looking slightly amused as he looks the man over.

Fidgeting a little in his lap, Q takes a deep breath and then sighs a little, hands still resting on Bond's shoulders, one hand moving down to circle around one of the buttons slowly. "You don't necessarily have a reputation for relationships. I am not looking for a quick shag, I am not looking for a friends with benefits type of relationship." he says as he looks at Bond from beneath his eyelashes for a moment, feeling somewhat shy. "And I can tell already that it would be far too easy to give into you, James. To give myself up to whatever you're offering. But I don't want to be destroyed if you decide to move on." He says quietly as he refocuses on the button of Bond's shirt he's been toying with. Not trying to undo it, just brushing his fingers over and around it, mainly just to have something to focus on.

"Look at me, Ford." Bond says as he looks at the young man in front of him, and when that doesn't get a response, he hardens his voice a little. "Q." He says in a sharper tone, smiling softly when he meets those beautiful green eyes. "My interest in you is not fleeting, Q." he says quietly, amused that he responds more to his title than to his given name. Slowly, he lifts one hand and rests it along the young man's cheek gently. "I could die any time I go out on a mission. Because of that, I don't have the luxury to pass something by when it's what I want. And what I want is you, Q. In or out of my bed. For however long you want. Bloody hell, Q, if you didn't want this to be sexual at first, then that's fine. I won't lie, that will be frustrating, because I find you extremely sexy.." he says as he sits forward a little, bringing them closer together. "However, if that's what you want, we'll go at your pace. I promise." he soothes quietly, pulling Q a little closer to him, brushing a gentle kiss over his lips, letting it linger for a moment before he pulls back slowly and sits back against the wall again while his hands fall down to Q's hips again.

This time however, the young Quartermaster has enough time to respond, and he moves his lips against the firm ones of the double-oh, making a small objection when he breaks away, but he sighs and sits back slowly. "Thank you, James." He says quietly, then he takes a slow, deep breath, leaning forward and giving him another soft kiss, then settling his head down on Bond's shoulder, his glasses probably prodding the double-oh somewhat uncomfortably, not that the older man objects.

James slides his arms around the smaller man and smiles a little, pressing his lips softly to his shoulder through his shirt, resting there for a few moments before he slides one hand up to stroke his hand through her hair. "What does that mean, Q? I don't want there to be any misunderstandings between us." He says quietly, brushing another soft kiss against the long, pale neck exposed so nicely in front of him.

Q can't help but smile a little against his skin, enjoying the soft kisses that don't seem to have any more intention than merely affection.

"It means, James, that I would very much like to date you."

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**Here you are! I loved the mental image of Bond/Q sneaking around the house like mischievous boys. Little hints of the elder brothers here, there will be more to come! I just wasn't ready to dive right into the party yet.**

**I am trying to figure out if Q should have bought James a Christmas present (one that could leave MI6 at least. ;) ), or if he should be caught out during Christmas. Anyone have any ideas/suggestions? Reviews/comments welcome!**


	7. Chapter 7

They sit there cuddling and softly kissing for who knows how much longer, before Q sighs a little. "We should get back to the room, so we can get ready. We both need a shower, and a shave." He muses thoughtfully as he touches his barely-there stubble, though Bond's is a bit more impressive. Slowly, he slides off of the older man's lap, stretching a little and rolling his neck before he smiles and starts to move toward the door. "Don't tell me your old bones need help up. That would be so disappointing for you to be so stiff. It would make shagging a little disappointing."

If there's something that Bond would not like, it is Q doubting his sexual prowess due to age. Quickly, he stands and moves over to Q, pushing him back against the wall, pinning his hands on both sides of his face, though he joins their hands slowly, messing their fingers together. "I promise you I will live up to my reputation whenever you want me to show you, Q.." he murmurs, nipping at his lower lip before kissing and nibbling along his jaw lightly, sharply nipping his neck.

Melting a little back against the wall, Q's hands tighten around Bond's, and he lets out a little whimper, nodding quickly. "I understand.." He says softly, licking his lips as he squirm a little. "Bond.. James.. we can.. continue this later. We really do need to get ready." he says softly.

Sighing reluctantly, Bond licks his lips a little and pulls back, releasing one of Q's hands and keeping the other but shifting his hand on it to be more comfortable. "Right." He says as he gives Q a heated once-over, then motions. "I don't remember the way back." he says with a smirk.

Recovering himself, adjusting his shirt with one hand and running a hand through his hair, Q finally leads him out, stealthily getting them back to their room, laughing as he closes the door as they narrowly missed avoiding a maid. He finally releases Bond's hand, moving over to the wardrobe to take his suit out, still chuckling a little.

"Would you like the shower first?" Q asks innocently as he glances over at Bond, starting to separate the pieces of his suit to make sure it's all in good order.

James is still chuckling a little, and he steps forward to slide his arms around his quartermaster's waist. "We could share." he murmurs as he kisses his neck softly.

A bright blush spreads across Q's face, to the tips of his ears, and he shakes his head a little. "No, James. We can't. Not tonight. Go, take your shower. When you're ready, I am rather intrigued to watch you shave, I've heard a great deal about your talent with a straight razor." he points out with a little smirk at him.

With one last kiss to the neck, James nods a little. "Of course. Anything for you." he says with a little chuckle before he moves away, picking up his toiletry kit before he moves to the bathroom, leaving the door open a crack, blatantly inviting Q in should he take advantage.

While observing the invitation, Q decides to pointedly ignore it, making sure that everything is set out for both of them, deciding that while Bond is doing his shaving and such, that Q can too so he prepares his kit, making sure he didn't forget anything.

The shower doesn't take long, the door to the bathroom opening wider, letting steam roll out, and Bond stands there with a towel wrapped securely around his waist. "Better hurry up, I won't wait for you." he calls to Q with amusement, before he does a quick brush of his teeth.

Q is already undressed down to his pants and button-down shirt, though his sleeves are rolled up. "Budge over a bit, Bond. At least I can brush my teeth while you're shaving." he says as he wets his toothbrush and then starts, turning to watch Bond putting the expensive shaving cream on his face and neck, ice blue eyes moving to observe Q with a slight smirk before he pulls out a straight razor.

Before Bond starts, Q finishes with his teeth, and then he leans back against the counter and watches as Bond starts stroking the very sharp blade against his skin. Without realizing it, he starts taking deeper breaths, finding this shockingly attractive as he watches the way Bond moves the sharp blade confidently against his skin, and the slight rasp of it. "There is something to be said for this... It's quite erotic." he says honestly as he watches the older man.

"Would you like me to shave you, Q?" Bond asks, pausing for a moment to look at him. "If you trust me with a sharp blade." he says with a smirk before he goes back to what he was doing, finishing up and wiping the excess cream off before applying a bit of aftershave.

Q's breath catches his breath a little as he stares at Bond, and then he nods quietly. "Alright.. let me take my shower first." he says as he starts unbuttoning his shirt, watching Bond for a few moments and licking his lips before he wanders back into the bedroom, hanging his shirt up before he walks back to the bathroom, reaching in to turn the shower on, a little self-conscious since he's just in his boxers now in front of Bond, who is just wearing a towel. "Right, are you just going to stand there?" He asks as he watches the older man.

Bond unashamedly watches Q, looking him over slowly and leaning his hip against the counter, arms crossing over his chest. "And if I am?" he asks as he continues to openly stare.

With a small huff, Q shakes his head a little. "Right. Of course." he says with a shake of his head, blushing and turning his back to Bond before he removes his glasses and puts them on the edge of the sink before he drops his pants and slips into the shower, listening to the dark chuckle of the man on the other side of the door. He quickly washes up, shutting the water off and snaking a hand out to grope for a towel. "Hand me a towel, would you?" he asks, wiping some water out of his eyes, but he still can't see anything.

"Why don't you come out and get it?" Bond asks playfully, only standing about 6 inches out of reach for Q, with the towel, and he's chuckling a little as he watches the younger man. "It's not as if I haven't seen a naked man before, Q."

"Well you're bloody well not seeing mine tonight. Hand me the damn towel, James." Q says in a firm tone, holding his hand out for it again, and snatching the towel when it's given to him, drying himself off before he steps out, picking up his glasses and slipping them on before he glowers at Bond and rubs a smaller towel over his hair. "Alright, go on, then." He orders before he hops up to sit on the counter.

"Tetchy tonight, are we? Maybe you just need to get laid." Bond teases, nudging Q's knees apart so he can step between them, gently putting his own shaving cream on Q's face before he picks up the razor blade. "Stay still." he says in a firm tone before he carefully start to shave Q's face, working his way silently through it, finally wiping away the excess cream. "Here." He says as he hands Q's aftershave to him. "I'll let you finish." He says before he steps back, looking him over slowly before he walks out, pulling the towel from his waist and giving Q a good view of his arse before he goes to dress.

It takes a bit, but Q finally comes out, wearing contacts which just makes Bond do a bit of a double take. "You own contacts?" he asks in surprise as he watches the younger man.

"Yes, Bond. I own contacts. I hate them, but it's easier than risk either of my brothers stealing my glasses in their childish ways, in order to prove a point about my weaknesses. I'll be bringing my glasses in case the contacts start bothering me too much." Q explains as he walks over to pull on his button-up shirt, and then his pants, tucking everything in before he reaches in for a tie, moving over to the mirror to tie the bowtie. It's a very formal suit, not quite a tuxedo but close.

"Too bad you hate them. You have such beautiful eyes." Bond says wistfully with a sigh before he swiftly dresses in his suit which is a tuxedo, but he can pull it off with style. After he slips his shoes on, he walks over to Q, smoothing out his jacket and reaching around to adjust his tie. "So how long do we have to do the meet and greet?" He asks with a little sigh, turning Q around so he can look him over properly, lightly brushing his fingers over the younger man's smooth cheek.

With a little sigh, Q reaches out and straightens Bond's bowtie after he is turned around, tilting his head into Bond's hand, closing his eyes a little. "After dinner, there will be drinks.. around 10 or 11 we should be able to sneak out." he says with a little smirk.

Bond chuckles and then nods. "So 6 hours of torture." He muses before he leans in an gives Q a firm kiss, letting it linger.

Q responds to the kiss in kind before he pulls away. "Lets go and get this over with." he says as he walks toward the door.

Admiring his young genius from behind, Bond smirks a little and nods.

"Oh, yes. So we can get back to more delightful things."

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**And next, PARTY! Finally! From here on out it gets complicated for me because I'll have to coordinate two stories and it will take a lot more brainpower. :)**

**There will be Mycroft, John, Sherlock, and Mummy! And maybe some other random Holmes' thrown in. And maybe even some MI6 interference. Thanks to everyone, and I hope you enjoy! Reviews/Comments welcome!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Finally, the long-awaited party! No Mummy in this chapter, but.. MYCROFT! He's such a prat. Oh, and some other family thrown in for good measure. I hope you all enjoy! Reviews/Comments welcome!**

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This time when Q leads Bond through the corridors, it's with confidence and it's a much more public route, his hand lightly trailing along the mahogany railing to the staircase as he moved down it, surprising Bond with his grace. He seems like almost a different man, no doubt some childhood training or something like that kicking in.

When they reach the open double doors to the ballroom, just able to see the people that have gathered there, James touches Q's back gently. "Ready?" He asks as he looks over at his Quartermaster.

A small, but firm nod is given as Q glances at James, his features softening in a little smile for a moment. With his hair somewhat under control and styled, and the lack of those ridiculous glasses, makes Q look very different and even younger than he does in his usual silly cardigans. Spending a moment more looking at each other, Q finally turns away and heads into the room, though there's no smile on his face he looks around at all of those gathered, most of which are clumped into groups talking to each other, some just wandering between the groups.

Q turns, heading off to a relatively empty side of the ballroom, but he doesn't escape notice, and soon he's accosted by a blonde a few years older than him, the girl's hair in an elegant up do, wearing a festive Christmas dress.

"Ford!" She squeals with delight as she hugs him tight. "I heard that you were coming this year, I'm so glad to see you, we've missed you! What have you been up to, I haven't heard from you in ages." She gushes, then seems to take notice of James, looking him over slowly. "Oooohhh.. Wow. You caught yourself a good one this time, Ford.. He's much better looking than Jasper ever was." She says with a sly smile at Q.

Awkwardly returning the hug, Q smiles a little at the girl, and even blushes a little. "Hello Ellie." He says quietly, before he looks at James uncertainly. "Eleanor Pence, this is James Bond, he's.. a friend from work. We're not.. dating.." he says slowly since he's not sure what Bond wants to call them, they didn't really discuss much other than they would 'try'.

James chuckles a little, "A pleasure to meet you, Eleanor." He says quietly, smirking over at Q. "What Ford means to say is that we haven't had a proper date yet, but the flirtation has been going on for months." He winks at her in his charming way before lifting her hand and kissing the back gently. "I found myself with nowhere to go this Christmas, and Ford was kind enough to invite me here." he explains smoothly, straightening and releasing her hand, looking over at Q with a small smile. "Though I haven't heard about this Jasper yet..." He says with an arched eyebrow.

Q can't help but stare at James, blushing more at how casually he lays bare everything. He avoids looking at either of them when he says, "Jasper is.. an ex. The last.. well, my last real relationship, actually." he says with a little half-shrug of a shoulder, before he looks back at Eleanor. "How have you been?" He asks, avoiding any of the other questions.

James frowns briefly, wondering what happened between the younger man and his last boyfriend that had caused him to be single for what seems to have been a long time. Has he always been this hesitant with relationships or it was it something to do with this ex of his? Is that's what made him wary? Expertly, he smoothes out his face though, slipping his arm around Q's waist and leaning in to kiss the side of his head through his curls gently, but for now he remains silent.

Ellie just grins a little at the two of them, "He was a right git." She says in a firm tone, before she looks at Q. "Oh, I've been good. No serious relationships, but I'm on the market right now. I'm still doing web design, more freelance now than being tied to any one company, though that's going well for me, I'm getting a lot of commissions." She says with a little grin. "Been trying to work on my art, too, but that's not working so well." She says with a little sigh, rolling her eyes.

Ford smiles a little and then nods quietly. "I'm glad, you look happy." he says quietly as he looks at her, then glances at James, feeling awkward about excluding him from the conversation. "Ellie is my favorite cousin. We get along quite well, but we didn't really get to know each other until I moved out. I didn't know anything about living on my own, and she helped me out a lot, especially when it came to cooking." He says with a little shrug as if it's not a big deal.

"Well, then I have you to thank for keeping Ford alive. He barely eats enough as it is." James says with a little smirk as he looks at the thin young man next to him, using it as an excuse to admire him.

"That seems to run in the family. Mycroft is the only one who looks healthy. Sherlock and Ford both always look too thin. But they take after their mother. She looks healthier, but she's always so thin.. From what little I remember, Mr. Holmes was broader, more like you." Ellie says with a little smirk as she looks James over in a way that makes Q bristle.

"Ellie, stop it. He is not a bloody piece of meat." Q finds himself snapping at the blonde, frowning at her in annoyance. It even surprises James, whose eyebrows go up, and he smirks as he looks over at Q, rather pleased at the reaction.

For her part, Ellie seems to have gotten the reaction she wanted and she giggles. "Oh, you've got it bad. I'll let you two mingle, I need to go make sure my mother isn't getting into the alcohol too deeply." She says with a little wrinkle of her nose. "It was a pleasure to meet you, James.. you be good to him." She says in a firm tone, before she kisses Q's cheek. "It was good seeing you again, Ford.. keep in touch." She says, pinching his arm with a smile before she sweeps off gracefully.

James chuckles a little. "Who knew you would be so possessive, Ford.." he murmurs quietly close to Ford's ear before he lifts a hand toward his cheek, pausing when Q pulls his head back a little. "She left lipstick on your cheek." He explains, then he drops his hand, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket before he lifts it to wipe gently over Q's cheek, the young genius not pulling away this time.

"I.. I'm sorry, James." Q says quietly afterwards, glancing around warily to see who might be watching. "I just.. I've never been fond of public displays of affection." he explains, giving that odd little half-shrug again.

That just brought up a whole lot of new questions for James, but he holds them for later, slowly dropping his arm from around the other man's wait. "Alright." he says quietly as he watches Q. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. Given how affectionate you were earlier, I wouldn't have guessed." He admits, smirking a little as he brings up earlier when they were snuggling on that cot in the hidden room.

Q smirks briefly at James before he looks away. "Come on, I need a drink." he mutters as he starts heading toward the bar that's set up to one side of the ballroom.

James relaxes when he sees Q giving him sassy look again and he chuckles as he follows him, glancing around for a few moment. "These people are all your relatives?" he asks, surprised since there must be 75 to 100 people in the ballroom.

Q nods a little, asking for a mojito for himself and making sure that James gets his martini, smirking at the other man as he pokes at the lime leaves with his straw.

"Are you sure you're old enough for that?" James asks playfully as he picks up his martini, taking a small sip. "I guess having a full bar is a perk of these kinds of parties." He teases Q as they move away from the bar again, easily moving together, aware of each other's movements that they can both read the subtle signs, the shifts that indicate where they're going to next. They move together to a more isolated edge of the room, where James' eyes scan the crowd out of habit.

"Ha bloody Ha." Q says with heavy sarcasm in his tone, rolling his eyes and sipping his drink. With a heavy sigh, he pinches the bridge of his nose. "And it starts. Here comes my brother." He mutters a warning to Bond before Mycroft approaches them.

"Sherrinford." Mycroft greets his youngest brother, looking him over for a few moments. "You're looking.. well." He gives a small sigh before he adds, "I see your new job is detrimental to your health, you're not eating well enough again. Perhaps something a little less stressful might be in order..."

"Stop." Q says with a little glare at Mycroft. "I swear, Mycroft, if you meddle in my affairs or those of Q-branch, I will make your life a living hell with every untraceable virus I can think of. Even you aren't clever enough to outwit my computer skills." he says in a cold, flat tone, before he takes a deep breath, glancing at James. "Mycroft, this is James Bond, a friend from work. James, this is my eldest brother Mycroft." He introduces grudgingly.

Mycroft takes the offered hand, shaking it as he looks James over, then he looks at Q again. "A double-oh, Sherrinford, really?" He asks, releasing James' hand as soon as is polite. "I know it may be difficult to find someone more equal to you with the sorts of hours you put in, but really.." he stresses the last word to show his disdain.

"So you've heard of me, then?" James asks, ignoring everything else that Mycroft said, having had to deal with pompous asses like Mycroft before. Still, he risks Q's displeasure, slipping his arm possessively around the younger man's waist, not tightly, jut resting there with comforting reassurance.

"It is difficult not to know about an agent who apparently does not understand his job." Mycroft says condescendingly, having had some problems with Bond's antics and calming down people, and more than a few conversations with the former M about them. "You do not understand how to use a cover identity, always use James Bond, which means that many people of questionable character know who you are. That is not supposed to happen, Mr. Bond. You are supposed to be a ghost." He points out, shaking his head a little as he looks at the man before him. "You also have a penchant for creating rather large explosions, something left over from your navy days."

While Q can't help but smirk as he thinks about how James does tend to blow things up, he also stiffens a little at his brother dissection of the man that he realizes he actually cares about quite a bit. "James gets the job done and manages to survive situations which lesser double-oh's could not hope to survive." He says as he watches his brother. "Either way, we should not be discussing this here, where people could overhear." He notes as he looks around.

James arches an eyebrow and he chuckles a little. "You seem to know an awful lot about me, Mr. Holmes, perhaps I should be questioning that." he says before he glances at Q. "Of course, you shouldn't believe everything you hear. I finally realized where I recognize the name Mycroft Holmes from. I've heard of you, too. Of course, I heard you were an arrogant, self-righteous, overprotective prick." he says casually as he watches Mycroft, undaunted by the man. "And now I have the proof that it's true. I can see why Q would actively avoid his family if he would have to deal with such an insultingly condescending attitude. Considering he is the most brilliant Quartermaster that MI6 has seen, outstripping his predecessors at a younger age than any of them could have dreamt of. He has no need to submit himself to an emotionally abusive brother." All of this is said casually, calmly, as if he were talking about the weather, though he does get slightly more passionate when talking about Q.

"Q? Is that what they call you now, Sherrinford? How... disappointing." Mycroft says, though there's a slight twitch by his eye that might betray his annoyance with James, to anyone who knows him well enough. "I am Sherrinford's family, Mr. Bond. He is my little brother and despite the assumptions you make, I do care about him." he says as he looks at James. "Clearly, I was correct in my assumption that you are an unstable man."

"ENOUGH!" Q snaps at them both, having been getting more and more pissed at Mycroft, shuffling slightly closer to James, glaring at his brother. "Mycroft, if you cannot be civil, then I would prefer that you leave James and I alone. You will not interfere with my life, or I will retaliate tenfold." he says in a cold tone. "Do I need to conduct another demonstration of what I can do with my tablet, let alone with the entirety of MI6's Q-branch behind me?" he asks as he glares at his brother. "James is one of the best men that I have ever known. Whether we are friends or lovers, or anything in between is neither your business nor your right to know about. I have made it clear before that I do not wish your interference in my life. You are my brother by genetics, but I certainly do not have any brotherly affection for you, especially at this moment. Why don't you go and do what you do best. Mingle with the crowd, advance your own career and be the golden boy that Mummy always thought you were, you arrogant prat." Q takes a deep breath afterwards, before he looks at James. "Come on, James." he says as he takes the man's hand from around him, twining their fingers together before leading him away from Mycroft and across the room.

James changes their direction toward one of the balcony doors, pulling Q outside almost roughly, putting both their drinks down on the balcony ledge before he turns, pressing Q back against the wall to the side of the door. HIs hands come up to cup either side of Q's face as he leans in to give him a passionate kiss, tongue brushing against the younger man's lips, smiling in satisfaction as he feels Q let out a little moan.

Slipping his arms around James slowly, under his jacket, he holds him for a few moments as he presses back into the kiss, finally applying a soft pressure to James' chest before pulling his head back, taking a few deep breaths. "What the bloody hell are you doing, James? Anyone could come out here and see us like this." He scolds, realizing how he has responded and his cheeks flush in the darkness, the only light spilling out from the ballroom.

Bond smirks a little, thumbs stroking Q's cheeks gently, before his hands slide down and around the skinny man's waist. "I was snogging you senseless. Because listening to you defend me, and tell your brother off like that, hell, even threatening him, is possibly the single hottest thing I have ever seen you do, Quartermaster." He murmurs quietly, leaning in and giving him another soft kiss, leaning down to nuzzle against his neck a little, placing a few soft kisses against the tender skin there.

Groaning softly, Q tilts his head back against the house with a soft thunk, eyes closing as he enjoys the attention for a moment. "I've always hated Mycroft. He's always meddling in Sherlock and I's lives. As soon as I started hacking, I learned how to fight back against him. He usually doesn't bother me anymore, because it's more trouble than it's worth. James, you've got to stop that." he says, trying to keep his composure, and finally giving James a hard push back from him, taking a few deep breaths, adjusting the other man's tie. "Now, we are going to go back into the party, and I am going to introduce you to Sherlock, and Mummy, eventually. Then we will eat dinner and eventually go back to our room. And then, just maybe, we will pick this up where we left off." throughout his little speech, Q's voice is firm and determined, even if he smirks suggestively at the last part.

Fully intending to give in and do whatever Q wants, James still has to put up a token protest, and he puts his head down on the younger man's shoulder, groaning a little before he straightens, adjusting his suit and handing Q his drink back while he drains his martini.

"Let the games begin, my little minx."


	9. Chapter 9

**This ended up being a longer chapter than I expected. But.. Mummy, John and Sherlock all make appearances! Thank you for everyone who's read. Reviews/comments welcome. Enjoy!**

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They've only been gone for a few minutes so no one is the wiser about their little tryst. Music has been started from a small string band in the corner, and Q smirks a little. "Sherlock is probably hating this. He's a violinist. A very good one, but he only plays for his own pleasure and to help him think." He explains to James as he glances over at him. "He's very critical of music. And a lot of other things, but.." He trails off and shrugs a little, seeming to be relaxing a little, though whether it's from the release of frustration of yelling at Mycroft, or from the mojito that is almost empty in his hands is hard to tell.

"This is a very different side of you, Ford." James observes as he looks over at the other man. "I'm used to seeing the posh, cold man with magic fingers." He says quietly, his fingertips lifting Q's gently for a moment so he can look at his long-fingered hand, just the pads of their fingertips touching.

"Yes, well. You've never seen me outside of work before, James." Q says simply as he looks down at their fingers together, gently pulling his hand away. "The person you saw in private today, that is the real me. This is just as much a mask as how I am at work." he says thoughtfully as he looks around. "There's a reason I left this world." A small sigh is given before he finishes his drink and puts it casually on the tray of a circulating waiter, before he looks back over at James.

James chuckles a little as he looks at the other man for a few moments, looking him over and taking him in, putting together all the different pieces of what he's learned over the last day. "Then I suppose I need to get you back in private so that I can learn more about the real you." He says with a playful glint to his eye as he leans toward Q a little.

"Uh-uh! None of that here, save that for the privacy of your room, Sherrinford." A woman, elegant and thin, but a little shorter than Q. Her mostly silvery-gray hair must have been black or darker at one point but now it's held back from her face, the rest spilling down her back in a wavy mass. Her eyes are lighter than Q's, a sharp blue-green color that is a little eerie. Pale skin and high cheekbones with a quirk to her lips that almost makes her look mischievous, completes the image. She wears an elegant dress, long-sleeved velvet colored a dark green, quite festive for the season, and showing off that she may be getting older but she is still in very good shape.

"Mummy." Q says after he jerks back from James in surprise and blushes brightly, ducking his head nervously in the face of his mother.

The woman smiles a little. "I'm so glad to see you.. all my boys under one roof..." She says as she looks at him, then steps forward and gives him a hug and a kiss on the forehead. "I take it this strapping young man is the friend you told me you were bringing? I think you weren't telling me something." She says in a stern, motherly voice.

Q shifts a little, uncomfortably, and he clears his throat. "Mummy, this is James Bond, he is a friend from work, but well... we've always flirted a bit I guess, and this has let us get to know each other better outside of our busy schedules." He explains quietly, before he looks at James. "James, this is my mother, Victoria Holmes." He introduces quietly, shifting a little and putting his hands in his trouser pockets slowly.

Decidedly not looking guilty, James looks at Q, then at Victoria, offering his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Holmes." He says, leaning over and kissing the back of her hand gently. "You certainly don't look old enough to have a son as young as Ford." He says as he looks her over slowly before he smiles. "But it's true, I'm rather fond of your son, and I have to admit, I didn't really give him much of a choice in whether I came here or not." he chuckles a little, releasing her hand slowly, before he glances at Q and back at Victoria. "I have no one to spend Christmas with, so I took the opportunity to try and get to know your son better. He's very different at work, always so aloof. Being so young and in such an important position I'm sure he has to be, but it makes it a little difficult to get to know him." he says honestly, putting his hand on Q's lower back again, thumb rubbing soothingly, a quiet, hidden show of support for the man next to him.

"Flatterer." Victoria accuses, before she looks at Ford in a vaguely disapproving way. "It's nice to meet you too, James. Sherrinford never brings any of his.. friends.. around to meet us. I barely ever see him or Sherlock. But he shut me out at a much earlier age." She says quietly, sighing and shaking her head as she looks at him, having been harder on Q, learning from how Mycroft and Sherlock turned out, so she tries to make up for the things she didn't do for her other sons, ending up with her having quite the tyrannical grip on her youngest. "Have you even said hello to your brothers yet?" She asks, turning her attention back toward her youngest brother. She knows that he talked to Mycroft, having seen him from across the ballroom when she was talking to Sherlock and John, but she wants to hear it from him.

Q takes a deep breath, shifting subtly to press James' hand more firmly against his touch, accepting and encouraging it this time, needing it. He decides not to say anything about him leaving at 'such an early age', though he does stiffen a little. "I've spoken to Mycroft." he says in a cold tone, his mask slipping back into place as he looks around. "I haven't seen Sherlock yet. Except for briefly in the hallway but he had an umbrella and looked quite upset, so I thought it was best to leave him to wherever he was stalking off to." he says simply with a small shrug, glancing around the room for a few moments. "Ah. There he is." He arches an eyebrow. "That must be his flatmate with him. I didn't realize he was military. Interesting." He says in a slightly detached tone.

Victoria nods a little, looking at Q in a disapproving way. "Yes. I witnessed your discussion from across the room. I expected a little more decorum for you than practically having a shouting match." She says as she looks at Q with a small shake of her head, before she is apparently distracted by talk of Sherlock and John. "Oh, yes. Dr. Watson. He's very intriguing. Mycroft tells me he was a Captain in the army, and also a surgical doctor. Until he was invalided home from Afghanistan, when he met Sherlock. Except for Sherlock's.. disappearance, they've been rather inseparable." She says with a small smile. "I believe they may be headed in the same direction you two are. But then, you've always been comfortable with relationships and who you are, haven't you, Sherri?" She asks as she looks at her youngest.

Ford winces a little at the nickname. "You know how I hate that nickname, Mummy. I prefer Ford." He points out, before he looks at James. "It seems that the Holmes men prefer military training. James was a Commander in the Navy before he.. switched career tracks." He says thoughtfully, looking at James for a moment longer before he turns his attention back to his mother. "And doesn't Anthea have some sort of military training as well?" he asks with a smirk.

"Forgive me for interrupting, but.. Anthea? Is that the woman, Mycroft's sort-of assistant you told me about?" James asks casually as he looks at Ford, trying to remind him of their escapade through the mansion in order to help loosen him up a little.

Sending James a somewhat grateful smile as he relaxes a little, he nods quietly. "His personal assistant, yes. Though it's quite obvious to anyone with half a brain that they're in a relationship." he says simply, glancing at his mother. "Heaven forbid he should be seen fraternizing with the help."

"Sherrinford." Victoria scolds, shaking her head a little. "You shouldn't be spreading rumors. I didn't realize you had become so vicious." She says before she sighs a little. "Yes, I believe Anthea did have some military training, but I don't remember what it was." She says as she brushes it off, apparently not caring about military training that doesn't come from a man. "I don't know what's happened to you.." She says as she looks at her youngest son, tsking a little as she reaches up to straighten his tie. "Perhaps Mr. Bond can help straighten you out. If you'll excuse me, I have the rest of the family to play hostess to. Go talk to your brother." She says in a firm tone before she glides away.

It's all Ford can do not to start screaming at his mother, and he takes a slow, deep breath after she's gone. "I need a drink." he mutters as he looks around, hoping they don't have to trek back to the bar area, and thankfully there are circulating waiters with glasses of champagne, which Ford snags one of, taking a long drink of it before James snatches it from his fingers.

"I know that look, and I am not letting you get drunk." James says firmly as he watches the younger man, finishing off the champagne before setting the glass off to the side. "Come on.. I see why you didn't want to come back here so much. Your mother is one of the worst kinds of women. Pleasant until you scratch the surface, then she's a bloody harpy." He says with a shake of his head. "No wonder she seems to prefer Mycroft. They're so similar." he says as he leads Q over to stand next to one of the walls, lifting his hand to touch his cheek briefly, knowing he doesn't like public displays of affection, otherwise he would snog him right there. "Are you ok?" he asks, looking into those beautiful green eyes, which are a little clouded at the moment.

Leaning back against the wall, Q nods slowly, taking a few deep breaths. "I'll be ok, yes. Are you done straightening me out?" He jokes with a little smile, slipping his hand up to cover Bond's wrist gently, thumb stroking over the back of the hand before he pulls it from his cheek. "We really should go say hello to Sherlock. If anyone can sympathize with me about Mummy I'm sure it would be him. He's avoided coming to Christmas for nearly six years, but it seems this year he was roped in." He says with a little amusement. "And if you haven't noticed, I am the most rebellious of my brothers. At least, directly. Mycroft is the golden boy, Sherlock is rebellious but not usually to Mummy's face." he says quietly, pushing away from the wall, casually leaning against James briefly before he looks around, searching for his brother in the crowd.

It isn't hard to find the two where they stand apart from everyone, apparently not even attempting to be social. Which is probably Sherlock's doing if Q knows his brother. "There they are." The young genius says before he almost automatically takes Bond's hand in his and leads him in that direction.

James is a little surprised at the hand-holding but he doesn't object, just looking rather smug and pleased as he follows through the crowds until they're approaching the two men. Now that he gets a closer look at Sherlock, he can see that he definitely shares a family resemblance with Q, curly black hair, eerie green-blue eyes, high cheekbones, pale skin, along with a long, thin frame. Though unlike the others, Sherlock's eyes are wandering over everything almost as if he's taking everything in, James observes.

"Sherlock." Q says as he gets close enough, releasing James' hand to hold it out to his brother.

"Ford." Sherlock returns, taking the hand and shaking it while he looks Q over in a dissecting way but one that doesn't even make Q flinch. "I see you've gotten the interrogation with Mummy over with." He notes, nodding a little. "Your argument with Mycroft obviously didn't put her in a forgiving mood toward you, I see." He nearly spits the eldest brother's name, but otherwise remains just sort of detached in his tone.

Q doesn't seem to notice or mind though, he just nods a little to Sherlock. "Yes, she's enough to send me into a bloody drinking binge. Which I almost would have if it weren't for James." he says, before he looks at the double-oh at his side. "Sherlock, this is James Bond, a friend from work. James, this is my brother Sherlock." He introduces.

Turning his attention toward the older of the two, Sherlock looks him over, reaching out and shaking his hand firmly. "Nice to meet you." He says politely, gaining a surprised look from the otherwise silent doctor at his side. "Convention says that I should threaten your life, if you deign it necessary to hurt Ford." He says in an almost bored tone. "But I can see that you wouldn't purposely do that, despite the fact that you put your life in danger on a regular basis. He cares a great deal for you, otherwise he never would have considered letting you come to meet the family. You think that you didn't give him a choice, but then if you truly believe that you don't know my brother that well afterall." There is a slightly disappointed tone to his voice when he stops speaking, looking the older man over again.

James returns the shake and he smirks slightly as he looks at Sherlock. "Well, you already know that I have no intentions of hurting your brother. I had to nearly beg him to even give me a chance. I wouldn't waste such an opportunity. I'm well aware of what a catch he is." he says with a smirk and a wink in Ford's direction, before he looks at John curiously.

Sherlock seems to catch, and ohs. "Yes, this is Dr. John Watson, my flatmate and best friend." he says proudly as he motions to him. "John, this is my youngest brother Ford, and of course as you obviously just heard, his friend James Bond." he says with some sarcasm in his voice, apparently disliking social conventions which say he should re-introduce Bond even though everyone clearly just heard who the man was.

Undeterred by Sherlock's attitude and clearly acquainted with it well enough to even find it amusing, John smirks and shakes James' hand. "Nice to meet you." he says with a nod of his head. "We should really grab a pint sometime, if your Holmes brother is anything like mine, you'll need someone to vent to." He says with amusement as he looks at the other man.

James chuckles a little. "Quite the contrary, I think I aggravate Ford more than he bothers me. I find him quite adorable actually. Of course, it's not as if we live together, and honestly we don't know each other quite as well as I'd like." he says before he looks John over, eyes settling on his ribbons for a moment, interpreting them. "I would take you up on it anyway, Dr. Watson, but I'm afraid I travel quite a bit for work, and I imagine I'll prefer spending my down time with Ford." he says with a slow little grin that clearly has suggestive undertones.

Q's eyes go wide for a moment, and he shifts uncomfortably, looking at Sherlock. "How many is it this time, Sherlock?" he asks, referencing some conversation that they've apparently had before.

"Twelve. Less than last time." Sherlock says casually as he looks around the room. "Oh. Thirteen." he corrects himself as he sees something he didn't before.

John and James exchange a glance, the former just shrugging, and the doctor decides to ask a question, "What are you two on about, or is this a secret Holmes thing that us normal people can't know about?" he asks, crossing his arms over his chest, legs spread a little as if he's preparing for a confrontation from Sherlock.

What John actually gets is the opposite of a confrontation. He gets a sly little smile as Sherlock looks at him out of the corner of his eye, turning slowly to look at him, smug yet playful. "Ford and I used to play a game. He didn't gain Mycroft's and I's deductive skills, or at least he had no desire to develop the skills." He says with a small smirk at his brother, then he turns his look back to John. "During family functions, he used to ask me how many of our relatives were cheating on their spouses or significant others. We never went into details, I would merely relate a number." He says, looking at his brother with an odd sort of affection. "It's something we've not been able to do for a long time."

"And yet you still counted." Q points out with a small little smirk at his brother, glancing at James as he once again has an arm around him, looking a little amused.

John looks a little surprised, and he shakes his head a little, pinching the bridge of his nose, but he chuckles a little. "Blimey. Trust you to have the strangest way of showing brotherly affection, Sherlock." he says with a little shake of his head, smirking up at his flatmate. "You are ridiculous." he says with more than a little affection in his tone before he looks at the others, noticing James' movement and he smiles. "So, you two me through work, then?" He asks curiously.

James nods a little and he smiles. "Yes.. I'd been working there for a while but I had recently been on a.. vacation." he says after a few moments, looking at Q. "Believe it or not, I have to take my orders from Ford most a lot of the time, he provides me with equipment I need." He says with a little smirk. "It started with just talking over the phone, his posh voice in my ear and I admit that I have a rather bad habit of flirting." He says with a small smirk. "Surprisingly, he flirted back at me, as long as we weren't in the same room."

Q just snorts a little. "As if you listen to anything I say." He shoots back at James. "Half the bloody time you do the exact opposite of what I tell you to do." He points out with a note of frustration in his tone, giving James a little glare.

Sherlock glances between the two for a few moments, and then a look of realization comes over his face. "I see." he says quietly, before he smirks slightly in the way he does when he's solved a case.

"Oh, I know that look. Don't do it, Sherlock. Not on Christmas Eve, and not to your brother." John says in a firm tone, putting his hand on the other man's arm to try and get him to focus.

Q sighs a little and shakes his head. "Please restrain yourself, Sherlock. I do need to keep some secrets." he tries to reason with his brother, leaning into James for a few moments, and while it's brief, it's not something that a genius detective like Sherlock Holmes would miss.

Sherlock glances at his brother and James for a few moments, brows drawing together as he considers everything, then he looks over at John for a few moments and he nods slowly. "I understand." He says quietly, his eyes focused on John's for a few long moments, his body unconsciously turning slightly toward the doctor.

After that, the atmosphere turns a little awkward, and James looks over at Q for a few moments. "Come on.. why don't we leave these two to the discussion they desperately want to have. It was a pleasure to meet you both." He says as he slips his arm a little further around Q's waist and tugs him over to a quieter corner well away from the other two.

When they're finally away from the others, James sighs a little, "Remind me again how much longer we have to stay down here, and why I shouldn't just drag you back upstairs?" He asks, a little frustrated with having to share Q when everything just brings up more and more questions that he can't ask. Or at least if he asks it can't be answered freely when they have to be careful what they say about their jobs.

Q can't help but smirk a little. "You're a possessive bastard, aren't you?" He asks as he looks at James, snagging another glass of champagne from a tray, but he only takes a tiny sip, just something to wet his mouth. "We still have dinner to get through, then drinks in the lounge afterwards." he notes as he looks at the double-oh.

"I've never been possessive before. But it seems I am with you." James says as he looks at Q. "Maybe it's because I just discovered so much about you, and we just came to an accord before we had to get dressed up for this event." He says before he looks Q over slowly. "Or maybe because you look so bloody good in a suit."

Q chuckles softly and he looks down for a moment, the alcohol relaxing him a little now, before he looks up at James, glancing around the ballroom for a few moments before he slides one hand up into the blonde's hair along the back of his neck, pulling him in for a brief but intense kiss, quickly breaking away and dropping his hand after a moment.

"It won't seem like too much longer."


	10. Chapter 10

**I am so sorry for not updating yesterday! I was so exhausted after I finished the update for my other story that I went straight to bed. So here is one for you, with more Mycroft! I may have to update every-other day now, until Sunday and then get caught up. This Christmas week is going to be kind of hectic.**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter! If you have any suggestions/comments, please leave a review! I love seeing reviews in my inbox. :)**

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Q's statement proves true enough, dinner passing with relative ease shortly after. At least relative ease for James. Q seems to be more tense, and James does what he can to distract the conversation from him. the food is as good as he's ever had at the fancy hotels he's been to, and he move easily through the conversations. After the dinner, everyone starts moving toward the parlor, and he stays with Q, until they get in the hallway and then he parts from him after getting direction from Q to find the bathroom

By the time he returns to the right room and locates Q again, it seems he's been cornered by Mycroft though the middle Holmes brother and his date are nowhere to be seen. Q looks furious, so Bond moves over quickly, touching his back lightly. "Is everything alright here?" He asks, going a bit alpha-male maybe, feeling protective of Q.

This is not the time to try and coddle Q however, he's nearly vibrating in anger as he glares at his older brother. "Everything is find now, James, thank you. Why don't you stay, have a drink and a chat. I'm going back to the room." Stiffly, he turns toward the closest door, wanting to be away from Mycroft.

Confused and not wanting to let Q go before he gets some answers, Bond reaches out and grabs his arm. "Wait, what's going on, are you alright?" He asks in a quiet tone. He actually is a little hurt when Q jerks his arm out of Bond's grip and gives him a glare, shocked at the younger man's behavior.

Q's look softens a little as he sees the expression on Bond's face and he takes a deep breath. "I just... need to be alone for a little while. I'll be fine." He says, putting his hand in Bond's for a moment, giving it a little squeeze before he stalks off.

Once he's gone, Bond slowly turns around, looking at Mycroft steadily, who was still standing there, though glancing at his watch curiously. "You just never stop, do you? Is it your mission to make your youngest brother's life a living hell?" he demands, trying very hard to use his words and not his fists.

Looking rather unimpressed at this little display, Mycroft examines his nails for a moment before he shifts his stance, missing his umbrella apparently, finally deigning to speak. "What I choose to talk to my brother about is none of your business, Mr. Bond. I was merely having a conversation about his very dangerous job. Mummy would never forgive me if I did not attempt to get him into a safer line of work. With his skills he could work for any corporate company he wished." He says matter-of-factly as he looks at Bond.

James sighs a little. "No wonder.. he doesn't talk about his family. Did you ever think that perhaps he is exactly where he wants to be? You have never seen him at work. His skills, his very presence has saved my life, personally, more times than I can count." he says as he looks at Mycroft. "I have seen him talking to one of his minions, managing 5 screens of information as he takes in things to help two agents." he says, keeping his voice low. "The things he thinks of, the equipment he gives us, saves lives. And you want him to sit in some cushy job somewhere what, designing security programs and whining that their computers are slow?" he asks, staring at Mycroft for a few moments before he shakes his head. "You're a bloody idiot. You don't know anything about how we work or how important your brother is to us. Do yourself a favor. Stop interfering and try and actually be happy for Ford." he says as he looks at Mycroft with disgust.

Mycroft's eyebrows go up for a few moments as he regards James. "Interesting. I wonder if the military training inspires such loyalty or if it's merely my brothers who are able to attract such people." He says thoughtfully, seemingly unaffected by James' attack. "Interesting that both my younger brothers were able to attract such loyal men." he says as he watches James curiously. "Let us hope that you can satisfy him." He says before he turns to walk away, back over to his assistant and, if the rumors are to be believed, lover.

It's a narrow thing, but James manages no to hit Mycroft, instead he walks over to where there's alcohol, downing one drink before he gets approached by Ellie again.

"Is everything alright? I saw Ford leave.. it looked pretty intense..." Ellie says as she looks at the older man who is now drinking. "You know.. getting drunk is not going to make the morning any easier.." She says as she puts her hand on his arm.

Not able to help himself, James chuckles a little, patting her hand gently. "I'm not going to get drunk. But I definitely need a drink right now. Mycroft Holmes is the most egotistical bastard I think I have ever met, and that's saying something. As far as I can tell, he doesn't care about his brothers, only making his mother happy, or making himself look better in her eyes. It's no wonder Ford didn't want to come, and I notice Sherlock slipped out as soon as he could." he says as he looks around for a few moments. "Ford wanted some time alone, otherwise I wouldn't be here at all." There's an almost sad look on his face as he twists his glass slowly as he looks down into the amber liquid of the scotch.

Ellie smiles a little and she nods quietly. "Hey.. take it from me, don't leave him alone for too long, ok? Give him an hour or so to cool off and then go track him down. Don't let him stew in his own juices too long. Hell, if you don't mind dealing with his anger you could go find him now and find a way to cool him down." She offers with a wink. "I'm sure a strapping man like yourself could figure something out." She says with a little laugh.

A small smirk is given at the girl next to him and he laughs softly. "You are a mischievous one.. but that's not a bad idea." He says, finishing his drink on one swallow, lifting her hand from his arm and kissing the back. "Thank you, Ellie." he says quietly before he turns and walks out. Thankfully he has a good sense of direction and he quickly makes his way back to their room, taking a moment outside the door before he steps inside. Everything seems to be in order, the lights are down low and Ford is easy to spot, having changed into his t-shirt and pajama pants, sitting on the bed with a tablet propped up against his knees, glasses back on his face and contacts gone. It was his Q again and it made him smile. "Oh, no." He says with a shake of his head. "You are not going to hide in your work tonight." he says as he starts to undress, not shy and hoping that he might be able to distract Q from his tablet.

"I thought you might enjoy the party a little longer." Q says in his usual cool, detached tones, continuing to work on his tablet, which probably bears little resemblance to what he purchased. He only glances up when some part of his brain registers what James is doing, in time to see him bend over to remove his trousers. He takes a moment to admire that truly spectacular arse before he sighs and looks back at his tablet.

James smirks as he hears the sigh, pulling on some pajama pants but leaving his shirt off as he walks over to the bed. "Why would I want to stay down there with strangers, when I have you waiting for me up here?" he asks with a slight smirk, before he reaches out and plucks the tablet from him, glancing down at it. "You are off of work for another.." he glances at the clock. "18 hours, at least." he says before he puts the tablet aside and slides into bed next to Q. "I know a little of what happened.. I think you need to stay away from Mycroft. He's a genuine prick." Sliding his arms around Q, Bond keeps his voice low as he speaks to the younger man, soft and soothing as he slowly starts to pull him close. He finds the genius surprisingly pliant as he tugs him to lay on the bed, pushing his knees down and nudging his legs apart so Bond can slide between them, resting his body above Q's. He's not trying to seduce the green eyed man, just focus him and keep his attention.

Normally he might not allow this behavior, but Q is too tired to fight Bond about this physical manipulation, so he just goes where he's told. While trying to put his thoughts into order, he shifts and gets more comfortable, hands resting against Bond's bare arms, and he slides them up slowly. "I hate this house." he finally says quietly. "I try to avoid my family. Why do you think I took a job with bloody MI6, gave up my name. I would rather be Q than Sherrinford Holmes for a reason." He says quietly, avoiding Bond's eyes as he talks quietly. "And this.. this year.. it's worse than ever. I brought you. I thought they would approve, because of the kind of man you are." He says before he sighs, closing his eyes, and just letting his hands slide up to James's shoulders, resting there for a moment before sliding back down, eyes finally opening to look at the older man in front of him worriedly.

A small chuckle comes from Bond's throat. "You wanted to pretend.. Before you would even let me hope to have a chance with you, you wanted to show me off. Very devious.." He says quietly as he looks at the man below him, leaning over and kissing softly for a moment, but keeping it soft and chaste. "Next year, we'll have our own little party.." he murmurs in Q's ear before giving it a soft kiss, nuzzling against him a little.

"Next.. next year?" Q asks, shocked that James is thinking ahead or planning that far ahead for that matter. He takes a sharp breath as he considers that, blinking a few times, hands grasping tighter on his arms.

James chuckles a little, deep in his throat, and he nuzzles against Q's neck, not looking at him to give him time to school his features. "I told you, if you only gave me a chance, Q, I'm more than the man you see at the office." he says quietly, kissing his neck slowly, having wanted to ravish that neck since that first day at the national gallery when Q was wearing that ridiculous parka "But yes.. next year. I hope that you'll agree to spend this New Year's with me as well." His words are spoken in between soft kisses, finally pulling himself up to look down into the other man's eyes.

Still feeling a little overwhelmed, Q looks up at James, lifting his hand to place it against his cheek softly. "Well. I was not expecting that." he says honestly, letting his hand fall down again, one leg bending a little, causing his foot to rub along the side of James' leg. "I am fairly sure we will both have to return to work by then, James. You may not even be in the country. Best not to make promises you can't keep." he says as he looks at the older man, relaxing fully now as he realizes how serious James is about their potential relationship. Oh. Maybe he should stop putting 'potential' in front of it. It sounds so very juvenile to call them boyfriends, and the very thought of it makes him start to snicker a little.

Sighing a little, James rests his forehead down on Q's shoulder for a few moments, lifting it to place a soft kiss along Q's jaw softly, his mouth open to say something, an idea he had of how they could still be together without necessarily being in the same country, when the younger man below him starts laughing and he looks rather amused. "Something funny, Q?" he asks curiously.

Q just smirks a little as he looks at the man above him, lifting his head to kiss him slowly for a moment. "Boyfriends." he says, giggling a little. "I think maybe the alcohol is affecting me a little. I don't usually drink." he says, then adds, "I was just thinking of how to refer to you, being in a relationship with you. And the thought of calling you my boyfriend was so ridiculous..." He can't keep talking as he starts giggling a little again, tilting his head back against his pillow.

Still looking highly amused for a few moments, James starts to chuckle softly. "I don't think we need to label ourselves." He says before he adds, "Knowing that you think of us as together is good, though.." he notes with a slight grin, leaning down to capture Q's lips again, letting the kiss linger and build, flicking his tongue across Q's lower lip gently, making a pleased sound when he feels the other's lips part, and he deepens the kiss.

The fact that this is the first time James has really pushed anything makes Q feel quite pleased, and amenable to whatever he might want. Afterall, James Bond is not known for his restraint, but is well known for his seduction techniques and Q has a feeling that even he wouldn't be able to stand up against those techniques. Slowly, he squirms to a more comfortable spot and slides his arms around Bond's back, stroking the bare skin, drawing meaningless designs. The kiss is deepened slightly, pressing more up into the older man as Q slides one hand into the cropped, blonde hair, his tongue coming out to brush back against Bond's for a few moments before he starts to pull back, breathing a little heavier when their lips finally part.

"I am not shagging in my parent's house."


	11. Chapter 11

The laughter that suddenly burst out of Bond's mouth is full-bodied and loud. The mood is broken a bit as he puts his head down on Q's shoulder and continues to laugh for a few moments. "I actually hadn't thought you would want to shag for a while yet, Q. Not that I would ever object.." he murmurs with a sly grin, lifting his head to look into Q's eyes after his laughter dies down. "Besides.. there's something to be said for-" He pauses, lowering his head to whisper in the younger man's ear. "-anticipation." Gently, he nips at Q's earlobe, shifting his balance onto one arm, the other hand sliding down over his side, down his hip and fabric covered thigh, before starting to slide back up the same path it came. James quite enjoys watching the other man's sharp intake of breath, the slight arch of his back toward him and the way his head tilts back slightly.

"You are gorgeous." Bond murmurs quietly with a small smile, then he shakes his head. "As I was saying.. Anticipation can make things even better.. Maybe we should see how long we can last until we tear each other's clothes off." He says with a little smirk, slipping his hand up under Q's t-shirt, then grumbling in annoyance. "Get this bloody thing off." He suddenly demands, sitting up so he's kneeling between Q's legs.

A small whine comes from Q when Bond sits up, and he almost, almost pout, only just catching himself. "I don't see why I should give into any of your demands, James." He says simply, crossing his arms over his chest. Yes, he knows he's being kind of stupid about it, and there's no reason for him not to remove his shirt, but even Q has a playful side that comes out when he's relaxed.

James grins slowly as he looks down at Q. "You don't see why, hm?" He asks, getting a slightly predatory look on his face as he braces his hands on either side of Q's shoulders, leaning down toward him slowly. "I'm surprised.. you seem like such a tactile person, Q.." he murmurs quietly. "And I would wager quite a sensual one, when you're alone in your home... Indulging yourself. You can't imagine the advantages to removing your shirt, so you can feel your skin against mine, so that I can kiss your shoulders, run my hands along your skin.." He murmurs seductively, nuzzling into the younger man's neck and placing a few soft kisses there.

"Well... when you put it that way..." Q says quietly, and waits until James sits up before he sits up a little and pulls off his t-shirt, adjusting his glasses afterwards from where his shirt hit them. He tosses his shirt off to the side, the reaches up, shivering slightly from the cool air hitting his chest. "There.. now you have to keep me warm, James." He says with a slightly petulant tone to his voice.

Another soft chuckle comes over James, and he stretches out on top of Q again, keeping himself up on his arms to keep some of his weight off the smaller man. "Well if you weren't so bloody skinny, you wouldn't need someone to keep you warm." he points out with a slight smirk, but he lets his skin press against the genius', and he smirks a little, shifting so their skin brushes before he hums in his throat appreciatively. "Much better.." He murmurs, before lowering his head to place a few soft kisses along Q's prominent collar bones. "I was wrong. You don't have spots, and you have such beautiful skin.." he says quietly as he places a few more soft kisses.

Q hums in pleasure, slipping his arms around James to stroke his fingers over his skin, eyes closing slightly as he tilts his head. "It's one of the few things that I've always quite liked about myself. I have very few scars and otherwise rather unblemished skin." He says thoughtfully, sliding a hand up to run it through Bond's short hair repeatedly, enjoying the feel of it under his palm and relaxing under the attention he's receiving, bending one knee slightly again, wiggling his foot to rub against Bond's leg slowly.

A little chuckle comes from James as he flicks his tongue into the dip between Q's collarbone and his shoulder. When he feels that Q is sufficiently relaxed, he places a soft kiss on his neck, then lifts his head, "Will you tell me about Jasper?" he asks, placing a tender kiss on Q's lips afterwards.

Stiffening for a brief moment, Q opens his eyes to look at James before relaxing slowly again. "Right. I knew you would get around to asking me about that. Manipulative bastard." he mutters, though not angrily. He takes a deep breath and then nods quietly. "I suppose it's only fair, considering what's in your file." By this of course he means the Vesper incident, but he knows bringing it up directly might be painful for James.

"Jasper was my last serious relationship, and a bit of a prick now that I have some perspective on it. That was.. almost three years ago, now." he says thoughtfully, shrugging. "It was alright at first. He was nice and charming. We met at university. I was going for my second degree by then." He says, shooting James a glare for interrupting when he hears the muttered 'of course you were' come from him.

"Like I said, he was charming, witty, intelligent and handsome, I was drawn to him immediately. We spent hours just talking, and the other times we wouldn't need to say anything at all. Eventually, we moved in together. I should have seen something then. Jasper was very particular about how he wanted things set up. He got quite angry when I didn't put something back right once. Dishes in the kitchen if I remember. I thought it would be easier to get to them where I put them, but he was not pleased. His charm worked for him though, he started encouraging me to stay at home, except for going to my classes. I graduated within a year of meeting him and he told me not to worry about a job, that he had more than enough money to take care of both of us. He didn't know that I could take care of myself without a job, for a few years at least. So I decided to take his advice, take some time off from schooling. Spent time fiddling with my electronics, inventing, hacking, but I made sure to have it cleaned up before he got home so he wouldn't be angry. I took over all the cooking and cleaning." he says, before he takes a slow, deep breath. "One day, I wasn't there when he got home from class. I left him a note to explain that I had gone out with a friend for dinner, and that I had left him something to heat up. It was a female friend even." Q says slowly, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes so he doesn't have to look at James, still running his hand slowly through the older man's hair, smiling slightly as he feels the soft, affectionate kisses along his neck and shoulder. James' way of encouraging him to continue.

"He was... jealous, and manipulative. He made me feel like I had done something wrong. He made me feel guilty for going out with a friend." Q continues quietly, keeping his eyes closed as he focuses on the man above him, stroking his fingers down over the back of Bond's neck. "It got to the point where I would barely leave the flat. Jasper became my whole world. And it happened so subtly that I didn't even notice." He says quietly for a few moments, shaking his head and taking a deep breath. "But I wasn't satisfied, and Jasper started to get more verbally abusive toward me. I started looking for a job, we started fighting. I started to realize how much he was controlling me." he says quietly with a small sigh, shaking his head. "We had some epic rows. I ended it, I moved out. He couldn't let it go. So I hacked into his accounts, made sure that some illegal activities of his got the attention they deserved." He says simply, before he adds, "That was almost two years of my life." He says, taking a slow, deep breath and tightening his hold on James for a moment. "I haven't been in a serious relationship since then." Finally, he stops talking, trailing his fingers down Bond's back, enjoying the fact that he's allowed to touch the older man, to see him relaxed, in his pajamas, to be able to examine the musculature he's only seen hinted at through clothes.

Throughout the explanation, James just rests against Q, allowing his presence to be comforting and reassuring, placing soft kisses against his skin, nuzzling here or there, letting him get everything out. He really tries very hard to keep his anger under control, slowly slipping his arms under Q's body to pull the younger man close to him. When Q is done, he lifts his head to look down at him, then kisses him firmly and deeply, trying to convey his feelings through the kiss. His anger at this Jasper for treating someone as intelligent and amazing as Q like he did, and his own feelings for Q are communicated through the kiss. Slowly, he breaks it, looking down into those vivid green eyes, placing another soft kiss on his lips. "I'm sorry that you went through that, Q. You deserved so much better than that.. No wonder you were so wary of me, at first. I probably came across the same way as he did, except that you know my violent streak." he says quietly, frowning a little at the thought of being compared to him. "Is that why the flirting stopped when I was there in person? Don't deny you would flirt with me on missions." he warns as he watches the younger man.

Q kisses Bond back, eager to erase the memories of his past, and he tightens his hold on James for a moment. "James Bond, you are a bloody idiot sometimes." He says in exasperation, shaking his head a little. "It was so incredibly easy to flirt with you over the comms, James. During missions, it also helped keep me steady, keep me grounded so that I could do my job. But to have you right there in front of me. In your tailored suits, looking so sexy. You don't know how many times I thought about even kissing you, wondering if it would live up to the hype. Which it does, by the way." he says with a small smirk. "Despite my appearance, I am not very socially adept, I spent most of my formative years behind a computer screen, or locked up in this house. I'm not good with people for the most part, James." He says simply, pulling him down for another kiss, squirming a little on the bed to find a slightly more comfortable spot, hooking one leg around James' slowly.

For some reason, Bond finds this amusing, and he chuckles. "So you're saying.. that you didn't flirt with me in person because you're.. shy?" he asks in disbelief, chuckling a little. "You cover it well.." he says with a little smirk.

"Yes, I am a bit, and a little wary of things like flirting as well." Q says, this time not able to hold back the slight pout. It's not there for long though as James leans down to capture is lips, and they enter into another rather intense kiss. It's not too aggressive or passionate, more intending to ignite a slow burn in both of them, tongues dueling, thrusting and twisting around the other. Only when breathing becomes an issue do they pull away from the kiss.

James takes a slow, deep breath, resting his forehead against Q's for a few moments, trying to think of what he could say or do to make sure that Q trusts him, that he knows that he won't be like Jasper.

"Of course, you've spoilt me now, Q. I don't think I could go through a mission without your posh voice in my ear and your cruel teasing."

* * *

**I thought of this a while ago, a reason that Q is the way he is, hesitant about relationships and everything. As if Bond's track record wasn't bad enough. I thought this would be an interesting twist.**

**I think there may be sleeping and then morning presents in the near future. I can only prolong this so long.**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! I really, really appreciate it. Comments/reviews appreciated, and adored!**


	12. Chapter 12

"Cruel? I resent that." Q sniffs, and then he smirks for a moment, hooking one leg around James, and with a swift move that he's pretty sure only works because the older man isn't expecting it, he flips them over so that he's on top of James for once, smirking a little as he rearranges himself to get comfortable. "Don't worry, 007, you'll always have me in your ear." He says quietly, reverting to the tone he uses on the comms. "But there's no need to call me cruel. However, I believe that I am the victor. I got you into my bed before you got me into yours." he says with a slight smirk, pushing his glasses up as he looks down at the older man.

Bond chuckles a little, not seeming to mind the change in positions. He shifts a little, stretching and putting his hands behind his head as he watches Q. "Well, now that you've got me here, what do you intend to do with me?" he asks in amusement as he watches the younger man.

Q smirks a little, putting his hands on Bond's chest to push himself into a more sitting position. "Nothing." he says as he watches him. "I think that's the cruelest form of punishment for you, James. To not give you what you want." he says with amusement, sitting back on his thighs. "I think it's only proper to make you work a bit harder. I'm not some bimbo you're picking up on a mission. You can't just give me one of your charming smiles and use your sexy voice to get what you want from me." he says, crossing his arms over his chest with a little smirk.

Another hearty laugh comes from James, and he grins as he looks up at Q. "Cheeky bugger." He says with a smirk. "No one would ever mistake you for a bimbo, Q." he says with a little smirk. "So.. you think I have a sexy voice, do you?" he asks, lowering his arms to prop himself up on his elbows. "Oh, what fun we could have during down time on missions." His tone is clearly suggestive, obviously raking his eyes over Q's form, shaking his head for a few moments. "Blimey, you need to eat more though. I can practically see your ribs!" Shifting his weight, he lifts one arm to poke at Q's side gently.

"I'll have you know that I'm average weight for someone my height. I merely do not have much in the way of fat reserves, nor am I a hulking mass of muscle such as yourself. But, if you dislike how I look so much.." Quickly sliding off of James, he scrambles for the edge of the bed, standing and then looking around for where he threw his shirt.

Underestimating James Bond is not a good idea. Once he realizes where Q is going, he's up quickly, wrapping his arms around Q's waist to pull him back. "Oh, no. I worked hard to get that shirt off of you, you're not going to put it back on." he says with a little grin.

For a split second, Q debates whether he should just give in, or if he should put up a bit of a fight. With a slight smirk, he snorts. "Watch me, it's not like you seem to enjoy the view." he says before he squirms a little, trying to get out of the strong circle of Bond's arms, having spotted his shirt not too far away.

"Where do you think you're going?" James asks as he looks at Q curiously, tightening his hold before he chuckles and shifts, picking Q up slightly before he turns and tosses him onto the bed, quickly moving after him.

Q is more nimble than he looks though, and while he's a little surprised at being tossed like that, he quickly rolls off of the bed, landing on his feet on the opposite side just as Bond pounces on the bed. "I'm going to get my shirt." he says with a slight grin, looking around as he considers his options as far as a way out of this, but he is farther away from his shirt than before. And it's not as if he can get any old shirt, it's got to be that specific one. Why? Well, that's just the way things work, it's the rules. Of course.

"Oh no you're not." Bond says with a little smirk before he starts prowling his way across the bed toward Q, being careful of his positioning so that he can go after the younger man if he has to. Part of him wonders at himself, since he can't remember the last time he was this.. playful, with a lover. Not even with Vesper, and he wonders if this is a side effect of Q's youth, or if it's just another facet of Q's personality coming through that Bond has never seen before. And he has to admit, when it comes to his quartermaster, he's game for pretty much anything.

"Don't think I won't." Q says before he darts around the bed, skidding toward his shirt, keeping a close watch on Bond and ducking a little as he rounds the footboard of the bed.

Bond is prepared for this though, and he jumps off the edge of the bed, putting himself between Q and the shirt, snagging the younger man around the waist as he tries to make a dash for the shirt. Grabbing Q's wrists, he wraps them around him, trapping his arms as well as keeping his own arms around the younger man's. Holding him through the struggling, he dips his head, starting to gently kiss along his neck slowly. "Now why would you want to get your shirt back? I worked hard to get you out of it so I could see more of your skin. Just because you need to eat a little more doesn't mean that I don't think you're gorgeous just the way you are." he murmurs softly, brushing his lips up Q's neck softly. "Now why don't you stop pouting..." He offers quietly, nuzzling into his hair a little.

Of course, this temporary surrender is just that, temporary, and Q takes a deep breath as he considers it for a few moments, trying to figure out how to get out of this hold that Bond has on him. If he were in danger, he would dig his elbows into Bond's chest, or stomp on his foot or something, but he isn't in danger and he doesn't want to hurt James. However, that doesn't mean Q can just give up, so he tugs on his arms a little to test the hold that Bond has on him, squirming a little while he tries not to focus on how good the lips against his neck feel, or the silky sound of James' voice in his ear.

"I am most certainly not pouting,." Q says sharply as he struggles a little more, then he sighs a little and relaxes, tilting his head to the side, exposing it a little more. "It's really not fair that you can so easily overpower me." he says with a little sigh. "It seems perhaps I will have to take up Eve's offer to give me some self defense lessons." he says thoughtfully, smirking privately as he waits for the reaction.

The arms around him tighten a little, and James grumbles quietly. "You would go to Miss Moneypenny to help you train, but you wouldn't think to ask me?" he asks with an arch of an eyebrow as he continues his attentions to Q's neck and shoulder, since that seems to be keeping him docile for the moment. He does remember to loosen his hold a little though so that he doesn't crush Q.

"If you were to teach me, I could hardly use the same moves against you, now could I?" Q points out as he glances over his shoulder at the double-oh, leaning back against him as he finally surrenders and gives up on getting his shirt back. "While having you train me for general defense would be fine, it doesn't work for protecting myself against you." He points out with a little smirk

"You won't ever need to use them against me, Q.." James murmurs against his skin, before he gently starts to release his hands, though he keeps his arms around the young quartermaster's body. "If you really wanted to get away, all you would have to do is ask.." He murmurs, before he takes a step back toward the bed, pulling the younger man with him. "Now.. come back to bed, Q." he murmurs, taking a deep breath. "We do need to sleep sometime tonight, we have Christmas in the morning." he points out quietly, nipping at Q's skin before he steps back to the bed, releasing him except for a hand in his, as he scoots back onto the bed and slips beneath the covers. "Come to bed, Q." he says softly as he props himself up on one elbow, still holding onto Q's hand.

Stepping backwards, Q just sighs a little, knowing that he's lost this round, closing his eyes for a few moments. "Now how can I resist a double-oh inviting me to bed?" he asks with a slight smirk, reaching out to turn off the light, removing his glasses to fold them and put them on the end table, a large yawn suddenly coming from him. "Blimey, I didn't realize how tired I was." he says before he slips under the covers next to Q, shifting a little and getting comfortable, ending up with his back to James.

Merely waiting for the young man to get comfortable, James slowly shuffles up behind him, slipping one arm around his waist, and the other under the pillow slowly. "I'm glad I came with you, even if I had to deal with your bloody family." he murmurs, kissing the back of his neck lightly before he nestles his head close, nuzzling into his hair a little as he gets comfortable.

Q hums a little in pleasure as James presses up behind him, putting his arm over the double-oh's, intertwining their fingers. It's surprisingly easy for him to start to drift off to sleep, and for a few long moments Bond almost thinks he's asleep before a breathy reply comes.

"Glad you came, too. Would rather have you as family, James."

* * *

**I am so sorry for that ending. . Sleepy!Q doesn't know what he's saying! I loved writing a more playful Q and Bond. I think there would be a lot of different sides to their relationship, when they are just Q and James, not 007 and his Quartermaster.**

**Next is Christmas Present Time! Will Q have something for Bond? Will he have anything for Sherlock or John? Or Mycroft? Suspense!**

**Enjoy! Reviews/comments welcome!**


	13. Chapter 13

The comment, spoken barely on the edge of sleep, sends a shock through James that takes him a few minutes for him to recover from. Looking at the man in his arms, he just marvels for a few moments. He's not sure if the quartermaster will remember what he said in the morning, or even if he realizes what he said in the first place. But for James, he will never forget those words. He stays awake, watching the younger man sleep as he thinks about the implications. It could have been a slip of the tongue, or it could be something more, it could have been what the young man truly was thinking. James tightens his arms around the other gently for a few moments, taking a deep breath. Q could very easily become his entire family, and he finds that thought isn't nearly as terrifying as it once was. Finally, he shuts his eyes, forcing his mind to start to quiet down. Q has made it pretty clear that he wants them to go slow, and James plans on honoring that.

The night passes peacefully for the two men, though Q jerks awake in surprise when he hears screaming from across the hall, and it isn't the good time. He even thinks he hears Sherlock's name being yelled once before it goes silent. Still half asleep, Q falls back asleep until morning when he wakes up, a few hours before his alarm, smiling a little as he feels the double-oh behind him, adjusting for a few moments before he slowly slips out from under his arms, making use of the bathroom before he thinks, retrieving his shirt with a little grin as he thinks about the little chase he led James on the night before, before he slips his glasses on and pads downstairs to get himself a cup of earl grey.

He's not down there for long before Sherlock comes down, dressed in an old t-shirt, pajama pants and a blue silk dressing gown. He seems surprised to see Q there, "Ford." He greets before going off to get himself a cup of coffee.

Q nods a little to his brother as he watches him curiously for a few moments. "Sherlock, good morning. Merry Christmas." he greets quietly, taking a deep breath as he looks down into his mug, considering how this morning is going to go, realizing his hair is still mussed from sleep.

"Merry Christmas." Sherlock says as he prepares his mug of coffee with two sugars, before he steps away to speak quietly to one of the cooks in a different part of the kitchen, something that Q watches curiously, wondering what his brother is up to. The detective finally comes back and sits down near Q, looking at his brother. "You and James have a good night?" he asks awkwardly but with a little smirk.

Watching his brother for a few moments, Q blushes a little as he looks down into his cup, thinking about the night, everything that was discussed, and of course the t-shirt incident which makes him smile. "We did, not that it's any of your business. But it's also not like that. We haven't been.. intimate." he says awkwardly, fairly sure that Sherlock can tell that just by looking at him but he wants to make it clear. Of course, he may be so intent on John that he's not paying attention to anyone else. Deciding to turn the tables on his brother, he shifts in his seat a little. "You and John?" He asks, having figured out the night before that the two of them were sharing a room when he went to his room before James. He can't help but smirk a little as he considers it, wondering how the two were getting along with that.

Sherlock stares into his mug with a slight smirk that sort of worries Q and amuses him at the same time. "Together, but as you said.. not intimate. Despite my attempts." he says with a little sigh. "It seems John is more virtuous when it comes to me than I might like." He admits with a slight sigh as he sips at his coffee.

"Was he the one screaming in the middle of the night?" Q asks slowly as he finishes his tea and pushes the mug aside, sitting back a little before he looks over at his brother. He vaguely remembers waking up in the middle of the night to hear screaming from across the hall, including one time screaming his brother's name.

Humming tonelessly in agreement, Sherlock takes a deep breath. "He was a soldier. He got invalided home, and came back from Afghanistan with PTSD. He still has nightmares. We weren't together before yesterday. That, combined with the unfamiliar place and meeting my family, I think weakened his subconscious against his memories. If it weren't for that, he would be up by now." The detective explains. "I'm sorry that he woke you." he says with a nod of his head. "I had not anticipated that happening, he hasn't had as many nightmares in the last few months." he says quietly, letting his guard down around his brother and allowing him to see how very worried he's been over John. It's been a long time since Q saw Sherlock without that mask in place that makes him unreadable.

Sometimes it's very hard to understand your relatives, Q knows this, but Sherlock has always been a special enigma to him. He understands Mycroft better than he does Sherlock. And it's always somewhat frustrated him because he has always been able to relate to Sherlock a lot better, as he was once again reminded when he talked to Mycroft the day before. "You can't possibly know everything, Sherlock, no matter how you might try. If you were able to comfort him, that's a huge step from the last time we spoke. He must be a good influence on you." he says thoughtfully as he looks around the kitchen slowly. He's glad to see that someone has mellowed Sherlock out a little, and from what he could see of how John dealt with Sherlock the night before, the former soldier has a high tolerance for dealing with his brother.

A small nod from the detective is given before he takes a drink of his coffee. "He is, according to pretty much everyone." he says quietly as he appears to think about it. "Does James make you happy, Ford?" He asks, looking over at his brother, and Q can tell that he's thinking about Jasper and everything that happened with that relationship, not wanting to see that happen twice, and for a moment Q softens toward his brother.

Q thinks back to the question and considers it for a few moments before he smiles softly and nods quietly. "Yes. So far, he makes me quite happy. I've cared about him for quite a few months I'm afraid. It's just taken us a little longer to get to this point." He says honestly, then thinks for a few more moments. "I know what he does is dangerous, and it's possible that he may not come back from his next mission. But I don't want to use that as an excuse to rush into something that I'll regret." he says before he looks down at the countertop in front of him. "I won't rush into things again, Lock." He unconsciously uses a nickname from their childhood when Q had trouble saying Sherlock's full name so he would shorten it to Lock. Knowing this conversation was going to come hasn't made it any easier, and he takes a deep breath for a few moments. He knows Sherlock cares about him in his own way, but Q didn't expect him to be so open about it. Perhaps John has been a bigger influence than he initially thought. "What about you? I know you said when you were away you were pining after John. Does being with him again make you happy?" He asks as he leans back in his chair.

"Yes." Sherlock's quick, easy answer is as he looks over at Q. "Being with him again.. it's like coming home. Only to a home I never thought existed. I don't believe I ever had a feeling of 'home' before I met John." He says, pressing his hands together in front of his face in his classic thinking pose. "Whether it was at Baker Street or somewhere else, I believe it would be home as long as he was there." he says quietly, before he takes a deep breath and finishes his coffee. "Speaking of Baker Street, John wishes me to invite you to visit sometime." he explains as he looks over at Q.

Q looks up as he watches one of the kitchen staff bring out a tray of food, looking like breakfast for two with a pot of tea from the smell of it, along with milk and sugar for it and a few other condiments. Q tries not to smile as he thinks that Sherlock is getting breakfast in bed for John. Turning, he considers as he watches his brother examine the food, smirking a little. "Perhaps if I have some free time, and you're not on a case. I'll keep the invitation in mind. Ah. I know you have never been into gift-giving, and your acceptance of James is more than enough of a Christmas present for me, but I didn't want you to be surprised that I did get you and John a present each. And if you like, tell John not to worry about a present. I don't expect anything in return, and I have a feeling that you gave him very little warning about me." He says with a slight smirk at his older brother.

Sherlock just shrugs a little, picking up the tray. "I'll let him know." he pauses for a few moments. "Call me if you need me, or if you'd like to talk. Just don't complain if I give you the truth." he warns before he looks down at the food. "I had better get this back to John before he wakes up. He gets grumpy if he can't have his tea in the morning." He says with a fond little smile for a moment before his face clears and he turns to head out. "I'll see you in time for presents, Ford." he says before he heads back up to his room.

Q smirks a little as he watches his brother go, shaking his head. "How very domestic." he says, but he admits to having similar motivations, but he gets up himself and prepares tea for himself and coffee for Bond, getting a few pastries and such before he takes everything back to his room. Not exactly breakfast in bed, but he's hungry and enjoys pastries. He's not rude enough to merely get food for himself and not anything for Bond. As much as he would like to just to rankle the double-oh. He moves on silent feet back to the bedroom, where it seems Bond is already awake. "Coffee." he says as he puts the pastries down on the end table and offers the coffee to Bond.

"I was wondering if you decided to abandon me." James says before he sighs dramatically. "And you're wearing that bloody shirt again. Damnit, Q." He says as he looks at him, then he smirks, taking the coffee and taking a drink, glancing at the other man in surprise. "You remembered how I like it." he says before he picks up a croissant.

"I believe I said this before, James, that I remembered after hearing you order it so many times. Is your memory failing you?" Q asks in amusement as he picks up a danish and starts to eat it slowly, sitting on the edge of the bed as he periodically sips his tea as well.

James smirks a little. "Even I am not fully awake before my first cup of coffee." he says as he sits down near the other man. "How long do we have until presents?" he asks as he looks at Q with amusement, glancing at the clock.

Squinting over at the clock for a few moments as he continues to eat. "About two and a half hours is the furthest we can push it." He says before he sighs a little. "On the up side, we only have to stay until about 1 before we can head back to London safely." He says quietly, finishing his tea and danish, licking his lips a little before she stretches. "I think I'm going to take the first shower today." he says as he glances over at Bond.

With a little chuckle, James smiles, leaning back to look Q over slowly. "Want some company? It would be more efficient." he says quietly, then he holds up his hands in defense. "Just suggesting a shower, I promise I won't try to seduce you." he says with a slight smirk.

That is a dangerous path that Q could be starting down on. he feels as if he's standing at a crossroads, and one is safe, long and winding. The other saves just a little bit of time and is a little more dangerous, but still relatively safe. And it's this that he's tempted with. Finally he makes a decision, and he smirks a little as he watches James. "If you can control yourself, I wouldn't mind some company." He says, turning to walk into the bathroom and turn the shower on, leaving the door open as he removes his glasses and then strips off his sleep shirt.

Not needing to be told twice, James grins as he gets up quickly and follows Q into the bathroom, slipping his arms around the younger man and kissing his shoulder lightly. "Thank you for trusting me." he says quietly before he moves away and puts his shampoo on the counter before he slips out of his pajama pants and boxers, bringing his shampoo into the shower with him, getting in first to let Q in at his own time and comfort.

Q smiles a little, fondly, as he watches James slip into the shower, taking a moment to admire his behind before he sets his glasses within easy reach, and some new towels, then he grabs his shampoo as well to step into the shower and put it aside, reaching out and putting his hands against Bond's shoulder blades gently, making the double-oh hiss in surprise since Q's hands are quite cold. "Something the matter?" He asks playfully, sliding his hands down and around his waist, hands resting on his chest gently.

"Your hands are bloody freezing, Q!" James says in surprise, ducking his head under the spray to wet down his hair, working some shampoo through it before he ducks under the spray again.

Trying very hard not to giggle like a little girl for a moment, Q grins as he watches James. "Oh? Are they?" he asks innocently. "I didn't notice." he says casually, moving his hands around to James' back again. They weren't actually that cold, but in comparison to his sleep and water-warmed skin, they were quite cool.

"Minx." James accuses, finally turning around to wipe some water out of his face and look at the frankly impish expression on Q's face, paired with slightly unfocused eyes. He swoops in and gives him a loving kiss, tasting the sweetness of the pastry and a little bit of the earl grey before he smirks. "Your turn." He says as he puts his hands on Q's waist to shuffle them around until the younger man is under the shower, reaching up to help him get his hair wet. "Come here.." he says softly, tugging his head back a little before putting some of Q's shampoo in his hands before he starts to gently wash Q's hair.

"Mmm.. that's quite nice. Do you do this for your female friends?" Q asks with amusement, knowing his hair is a little longer than most men nowadays, and rather thick, a family trait that Mycroft seems to have not gotten.

James smirks a little. "I can't think of one single woman I have ever done this for." he says quietly, then he shrugs. "Not even Vesper." he says, saying her name quickly before moving on. "I never stuck around long enough." he says quietly as he continues to gently massage the shampoo into Q's scalp, finally pushing his head forward a little to wash it out.

Q smiles a little as he allows this attention, grabbing his body wash and cloth to start cleaning himself up, pausing before he asks, "Could you get my back, James?" In a quiet tone. "Thank you for helping me with my hair." he says after a moment.

Feeling rather pleased with himself, James takes the cloth from Q and scrubs his back gently, taking a bit longer than he might need to, going over it twice before he reaches around him to rinse out the cloth quietly as he watches Q rinse himself off. "Back to normal tomorrow, then?" he asks as he looks at Q, a little sad because he would very much like to repeat this every day but he doesn't want to push, especially now that he knows what he does about Q's ex.

Sighing a little as he rinses himself off, and then leans forward on the tiles, letting the water run over his shoulders and back. "I suppose so.." he says slowly, also sounding a little reluctant. He's not sure if he wants to give up this intimacy. As casually as he can, he says, "Did you ever find another flat, after you came back from your death?" he finally thinks of a reason and he smiles. "Just wanting to know whether our dates will be at your place or mine." he says with a little smile.

It could just be that James is being hopeful, he admits to himself, but he think she sees through what Q is saying, and that makes him smirk a little. "No, I haven't had time to find a place yet. I've been living out of hotel rooms." he says quietly with a small shrug. "I make more than enough to cover it." he says quietly, stepping forward to kiss Q's shoulder lightly. "So I guess our time together will be at your place."

This doesn't seem to bother Q at all, and he glances back at Bond, looking pleased. "Do you want to get back under the water?" he asks, and they shuffle around, changing places again. "I'm going to get out." he says before he steps out, rather pleased because James kept his word, he didn't try anything sexual, and now Q is feeling rather happy. He knows how dangerous a feeling that is, especially when he finds himself wanting to invite James to essentially move in with him. Shaking his head, he dries off, putting a towel around his waist and grabbing another one to rub his hair dry with as he puts on his glasses so he can see.

It doesn't take much longer for the shower to turn off, and James slowly steps out, starting to dry himself off as he admires Q, rubbing his shoulder for a moment since it's still stiff sometimes. He slips the towel around his waist as well before he smirks at Q. "Look at you, I'd hate to see you try and grow a beard." he says as he reaches out, touching Q's cheek and the barely-there stubble for a moment, before he grabs their soaps out of the shower, drying his off to stick it back in his kit, pulling out a comb to run it through his short hair.

Once again, Q has to try hard not to pout as he swats James' hand away. "Well, I suppose that just contributes to my youthful appearance." he says as he gives the agent a pointed glance, before he runs a brush through his hair and after a look that dares the man to make fun of Q for what he's doing next, he does take out a tube of skin product and spreads it on his face after briefly removing his glasses.

James smirks a little as he watches Q, shaking his head a little as he runs a hand along his small stubble, trying to figure out if he should shave or not, glancing at Q to see if he might provide some nonverbal opinion on the matter.

Q merely glances over at James and smiles a little, humming softly after he puts his glasses back on and washes his hands off. "I think you could go a day without shaving as well." he says as he reaches out, touching James' cheek for a few moments before he lets it fall away.

"Oh. I almost forgot. I talked to Sherlock this morning."

* * *

**Phew! That took me a while to write. These are taking me longer, but I fear this is going to come to an end sooner than I wanted it to! Though I have a feeling both of my stories will end up having sequels. :D These will just cover Christmas, that's as long as I intended them to be. But I don't think I'll be able to give up these stories!**

**I hope that you all enjoy this, thank you so much for those of you who have reviewed so far! Reviews/Comments are welcome, they make my day!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Shortest chapter yet, I'm sorry for that! Not able to focus very well with work and holiday stuff and everything. I may not get a post up every day this week because of the holidays, but I will try to give you a much longer present-exchange type one in the next few days! That will be a little more difficult for me, since I have to cross over with my other story.**

**I hope you all aren't too disappointed by this chapter, and thank you again for sticking with me for this long. Reviews/comments welcome!**

* * *

"When you snuck out this morning, you mean?" James asks playfully as he swaggers back into the bedroom to collect some clothes, a nice pair of trousers that are more casual and not part of a suit and a t-shirt with a pullover that has a half-zip at the neckline. Sporty but casual, and still a bit stylish.

Finishing up in the bathroom, Q collects his things into his kit and tucks it into his bag before he pulls out clothes, slipping on pants before he discards his towel, tossing it back into the bathroom, not caring about hanging it up for once. He finds a comfortable pair of jeans that he brought and then a t-shirt which appears to be a size too big for him. The shirt is black and has white lettering on the front that says 'Any fool can use a computer. Many do.' He doesn't really think about what t-shirt he chose until he hears Bond laughing, and he turns to stare at the older man. "What is so incredibly funny?" he asks curiously.

Because it's so like Q, when John sees the ridiculous shirt he can't help but start laughing, putting a hand over his mouth. "Your shirt, Q!" he says as he motions to it. "It's just.. completely and utterly you." he says with a little chuckle. "It reminds me of all those times you call me an idiot on missions for doing something that could have been solved by technology if I had just given you a little more time. Your words, not mine." he says with a small smirk, walking over to put his arms around Q just to hold him, looking into his eyes.

A smirk is given toward the older man and then Q nods quietly, slipping out of his arms. "Yes, I should have guessed you would appreciate it. And while I did sneak out this morning, I assumed you would be sleeping rather late. I needed a cup of tea and the only place to find that was in the kitchens. Apparently Sherlock had the same idea, but he was getting breakfast for himself and Dr. Watson. It's quite unlike him. But it's good that he's found someone to care about." He muses as he goes to get himself his cardigan to slip it over his t-shirt, leaving it undone for now.

"Caring about someone can often change your priorities around and make you consider doing things you never thought you would do, before." James says quietly, clearly from experience as he watches the man escape from his arms again, considering for a few moments. "It sounds as if your brother especially needs someone to look after him." he chuckles softly. "Must be a weakness of the younger Holmes'.. needing someone to look after them, make sure they're taking care of eachother." He says with a smirk as he walks over to him, placing a quick, loving kiss on his lips before he goes to retrieve his present from where he hid them in his clothes. "Shall we?" he asks, barefoot still.

Q returns Bond's kiss before he snorts a little. "I am not a child, I do not need looking after. But yes, Sherlock and I especially, we tend to get lost in whatever project we're doing. We lose track of time. In Sherlock's case, he believes eating too much slows down his mind. His mind is everything to him. Body is just transport. Until now, perhaps." he says with a slight smirk. "Whereas I merely tend to lose track of time." The appearance of presents is a little surprising to Q, but he goes and gets a bag containing his own presents for his family, shaking his head for a few moments. "I should warn you, since this was spur of the moment, I don't actually have a present for you." he says as he looks at James.

Smirking a little as he considers several comebacks to that, James chuckles. "I'm sure your brilliant mind can think of something to do for me.." He says in his usual suggestively playful tone, walking toward the door to open it for Q. "We'd better get down before they send Mycroft after us." he says with obvious distaste for the eldest brother.

Keeping himself barefoot as well, he pads toward the door, pausing in front of James on his way, looking him over for a few moments.

"I am sure I can think of something to give you that you desire."


	15. Chapter 15

By the time they get down, everyone else seems to be there, and their presents are added to the pile by the tree before they go over to get their drinks. Since they seem to be the last stragglers, as soon as Q and James settle, Q in a high-backed chair and James perched on the arm almost protectively, the room falls somewhat silent as Victoria Holmes stands from her seat by the impressively large fireplace.

"Merry Christmas to you all, and thank you all for making it here." 'Mummy' speaks calmly, folding her hands in front of her, smiling a little. There are some others that are not immediate family, a few close relatives as well as the three brothers and their significant others. "As you all know, this Christmas is special to me, because I have all three of my sons here for the first time in a very long time." She says as she looks at her sons, seeming to be in a better mood than the night before because she is smiling fondly at them, loosely arranged as they are on one side of the room.

"Before we start with the presents, I am going to ask for the only present I want from my sons. I want a performance, a Christmas song or two." Victoria says as she motions toward the piano. And by 'or two' she means two songs, minimum of course. "Surely you can give your mother that, boys?" She challenges with an arch of an eyebrow.

James glances at Q in surprise, not having been aware that he could sing, or that he might be musical in any way. Still, he gets up and moves out of the way as Q stands up reluctantly, trying not to let his displeasure show as he moves over to the piano. Slowly he opens it and then turns, waiting as Sherlock and Mycroft both join him, and they seem to have some sort of conference, apparently figuring out what to sing.

Since he's standing now anyway, James moves over to John who is also standing off to the side. When he approaches, John glances up at him. "Did you know they could sing?" he asks quietly before sipping at his tea.

James shakes his head a little. "Nope. I didn't know Ford could play the piano either, but then we haven't really gotten around to discussing things like that. He's very close-lipped about his personal life when he's at work. I haven't really spent a lot of time with him outside of it." He says softly, sipping at his own coffee.

Seeming to be thinking that over, John finally nods. "I understand. I knew Sherlock was musical, he plays the violin. And he's bloody good, when he plays it properly, I love listening to him." He admits sheepishly, watching the three. "But I had no idea he could sing." he muses, before he smirks and gets out his phone, glancing at James. "I'm not going to waste this opportunity though." he says as he loads up the app that will allow him to take a video.

The three seem to come to a condition, and Q stretches his fingers for a few moments, glancing at James and John with a small sigh before he sits down at the piano, running a scale just to make sure the piano is in tune, though he knows it is, before he starts into 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen', and after a few moments the three start singing. Sherlock having the deepest tone, Q's the highest and Mycroft somewhere in between. But they all meld together into a seamless, beautiful tune, the piano merely an accent to their voices that carry throughout the room.

It would probably be comical if anyone paid attention to James and John's faces, because they probably both look rather surprised, and in John's case, rather flabbergasted. Still, John has his camera up, taking a video of the three singing together. James just stares intently at Q, being able to see part of his profile. He admires the movement of his shoulders, the graceful play of his fingers over the keys. But his voice is what the double-oh focuses on most, having heard it many times before of course. He's heard it exasperated, tired, annoyed, angry, and most recently he's heard it soft, playful, and affectionate, but never has he heard it turned to song. Closing his eyes for a few moments, he lets the sound wash over him, trying to focus on just Q's voice through the other two and finding it difficult at times, but overall enjoys the song.

Unfortunately it comes to an end as so many other things do, an James looks over at John in the lull during the applause. "I'd like to get a copy of that, if I could." He says with a nod toward John's phone.

"Yeah, of course. I'll email it to you if you tell me where, soon as the video is done." John says to James with a little smirk as he waits for the next song.

The wait isn't long, because the applause doesn't take long before the three brothers look at each other again. Q gets ready to start in on another song while Sherlock clasps his hands behind his back. None of them need sheet music, and even though they haven't sung together for years, they can all remember their parts, their excellent memories aiding them in remembering words to songs they haven't sung for a long time. They start in on 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas', Q slowly turning his head a little to look at James as he sings, "From now on our troubles will be out of sight..."

James watches Q closely, taking a deep breath as he listens again to songs he's heard a million times, but that he hears with a new perspective, finishing off his coffee and putting the mug aside before he slides his hands into his trouser pockets to continue watching. he only tears his eyes away for a moment to glance around the room, noticing couples leaning against each other and smiling, arms around each other or holding hands, even the children sitting nicely and listening, the male voices apparently soothing to them.

When the song ends, there is a great deal of applause, Q standing to join his brothers as they all give a little bow to their audience. He makes sure that the piano is closed back up before he returns with Sherlock over to their significant others, Q picking up his tea from where it was sitting on the end table and finishing it off before he dares to look back up at James.

"So you can sing and play piano.." James says with a little smirk, taking Q's hand gently in his and giving it a little squeeze. As much as he might want to kiss the younger man, he knows that doing that in front of his family and his mother would be a bad thing to do, so he doesn't.

"Apparently." Q says mysteriously with a slight smirk, but he returns the squeeze, before he goes back down to sit in his chair that is next to the loveseat that John and Sherlock have settled down on.

Once again James takes up his perch on the arm of the chair, not caring if anyone disapproves. If he could get Q to sit in his lap he would, but he knows the other would not be comfortable with that either. It seems that Mummy Holmes needs a moment to compose herself, so he takes the moment to glance over at John and Sherlock who are sitting side by side on the loveseat. The way they sit so close betrays a certain intimacy especially when Sherlock shifts and puts his arm around behind John's shoulders slightly so his hand rests on the older man's neck, though his fingers seem very deliberately placed and there's a slightly more affectionate look about him when his fingers stroke the junction of neck and shoulder.

John shoots Sherlock a look when a shiver goes down his spine, and he looks away. There's something significant about that motion but James has a feeling that no one is supposed to know but those two.

Finally finished blotting her eyes, Victoria smiles. "That was so beautiful, thank you." She says before she turns to the rest. "And now, on to the presents, which I'm sure is what everyone has been waiting for! Stephanie, why don't you and the boys pass them out, I'm sure you know who everyone is." She says before she sits back down in her chair which is separate and isolated from the rest, allowing her to view the entire room almost like a throne. Which is where Mycroft has taken up to standing, not too far away.

The gift-giving commences, as the presents are distributed, mostly to the younger cousins. James doesn't receive any presents except for a very expensive bottle of scotch from Mycroft, which makes him arch an eyebrow at the brother but he doesn't say anything.

Ignoring most of the presents, a tea set, a rather nice Earl Grey mix, which he sets aside almost carelessly, Q focuses in on the three presents he gets from Bond, looking up at the man perched on the arm of his chair. Of course, when he gets to those two presents, he also feels the icy blue eyes focus in on him. Picking up the first rather square box, the younger man turns it over in his hands for a moment before he starts unwrapping it. The box underneath gives him no clues, so he finally opens it, arching an eyebrow as he pulls out the glass mug inside, looking at what looks like a beaker with a handle, glancing at James questioningly.

The double-oh just shrugs, crossing his arms over his chest with a slight smile. "I know how attached you are to your scrabble mug, but you really need to wash it sometime. I saw this and it reminded me of you. It wouldn't surprise me if you were that precise in making your tea." he says with a smirk as he continues to watch Q.

Finally, Q chuckles a little and he smiles, nodding quietly. "Thank you." he says quietly as he looks at the mug somewhat fondly, putting it carefully back in its box before he puts it down with the other presents at his feet. The smallest present is picked up next, and again Q turns it over in his hands, looking at it and then back up at Bond curiously.

Obviously, he's not going to get any hints by looking at the agent so the young genius has no other option than to slowly start to open the box. Inside he finds something that actually makes him grin. It looks like a tiny version of a rocket launcher, having foam projectiles and is colored an army green. Upon further inspection, he sees that it hooks up via USB to any computer, and can be aimed and fired from the computer.

Rather pleased with himself at the reaction that James gets from the younger man, he feels the need to explain. "I am sure that you will improve on both the distance of the projectiles and the program used to fire it, but I thought you could use it to keep wayward minions in line." he says with a small snicker, imagining Q seeing someone goofing off and shooting a foam dart at them from his desk.

Clearly that idea appeals to Q, because he gets a rather mischievous look in his eyes, smirking a little as he looks up at James. "Oh, I can think of a great deal of ways to modify this.. Thank you, James.. but it seems I have one present left." He says as he picks up the slightly longer rectangular box, looking at it thoughtfully before he opens it a little more eagerly since the first two turned out to be rather interesting. This box is nondescript but when Q opens it, he looks interested, pulling out the box and turning it over. Inside are two watches, the new ones that Samsung has created to be touch-screens and match up with their phones, running a version of the android operating system and able to access apps from the watch.

"Why two of them?" Q asks, loving the present but not sure why he needs two watches.

James can't help but chuckle a little. "One to take apart, of course." He says as if it's obvious, smirking a little at Q. "I am sure that you'll want to take it apart, find out how it works, so you can make a better version of it. I thought that you might be able to figure out some clever use for it, perhaps for some of us." he says with another little smile. "And the other one is just in case you break the first one." he says with a little chuckle as he looks at the younger man.

Nodding quickly, Q smirks a little. "It seems that I will have a few projects to start working on when we get back to work." he says with an eager smile as he looks up at James, lifting his hand to tug the older man down a little, giving his lips a soft kiss that lingers for a few moments.

That kiss, in front of Q's mother, brother, and relatives, is more than enough of a Christmas present for James, since he practically just declared himself through an action that, coming from anyone else, would be rather innocent. James returns the kiss softly, restraining himself from doing anything else as he slowly sits back afterwards. "Thank you. I'm glad you like your presents." he says softly to the younger man.

"Ford?" Comes Sherlock's voice as he opens one of the presents, having gone unnoticed by the others. Sherlock holds up a phone which he pulled out of a box that is obviously not the original packaging. It looks like a Sony Ericsson Experia, but the detective knows that there must be more to it.

Q looks over at his brother, glad to see that John also opened phone which is based off the 'Pro' model and colored silver, whereas Sherlock's is black and is the Neo model. "It's a phone, Sherlock. Surely you can deduce that." He can't help himself, he's in a much better mood now and that makes him a little snarky, even if he means to be playful. At the unimpressed look that he gets from the younger man, Q smirks a little. "I've made modifications to both of the phones. They're virtually waterproof, I've added shock protection, and encryption so strong that not even Mycroft could break it without my help. It has GPS, but the only way that it could be tracked is through a website I've set up for both of you." He explains. "Information is in the boxes. Website is secure. Also, those phones have better picture capability, audio quality and speed than anything else on the market. The Ericsson case was the one most compatible for the designs I came up with." he explains with a little shrug, smiling a little as he looks at the two. "I admit, I've read your blog, John, and I know my brother. You both needed a phone that would last more than the what, six months to a year you were getting out of the other models?" He asks, arching an eyebrow.

John stares in shock at his phone. "Ford.. this is too much." he says with a small shake of his head. "Bloody hell, I didn't even know you before today." He says as he stares at the phone for a few moments, opening it and looking it over.

A small smirk comes from the consulting detective as he turns the phone over, examining it from every angle, having been waiting for it to turn on while Q was talking, and now he fiddles with it a little, nodding quietly as he notices how well it fits in his hands, that it's not too sensitive, it's probably the most perfect phone he's ever had. "Thank you, Ford." He says with a small nod of his head. "Our numbers?" he asks with an arch of an eyebrow.

"I can transfer them over right now." Q says as he pulls his tablet out of a pocket that is apparently on the inside of his cardigan, along with a cable, holding out his hand toward them. "I'll need both the phones, if you please." he says, waiting to receive the pair before he starts to work transferring pictures, apps, address book, and everything else that may be on the phone, along with transferring the number itself from one to the other.

Looking a little surprised when Q produces his tablet, James leans back a little. "Where exactly were you hiding that?" he asks curiously, reaching out to pull out one side of Q's cardigan to peer at it, only to get his hand slapped away for his trouble. Though at least he can see the slight smirk on Q's lips as he works rapidly, completely focused on the task at hand. He smirks as he watches the younger man work, sitting back a little. "I think I might be jealous." he says thoughtfully. "I suppose it's one more thing I can use to guilt trip him if I need it." he notes with a little snicker.

Finishing one set of phones, Q hands them both to John, before he holds his hand out and takes the ones from Sherlock, starting to do the same with his, though he has more data on his phone so it's taking a little longer. Still, when he hears what James says, he smirks slightly, looking up at his face.

"What makes you think I don't have something better for you back home?"

* * *

**Ok! Christmas presents! Yay! And Q has some new skills.**

**Couple of notes. The "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" I was listening to was the one done by Michael Buble, who I love. The mug and rocket launcher are both real things, and can be found at thinkgeek dot com. A website which I adore. Also, I chose the Sony Ericsson phones because they were the ones in Skyfall and the newer movies, so even though I know it was just some sort of plug by Sony who also has their laptops in the movie, I'm just saying it's the preferred phone model/manufacturer of Q-branch. :)**

**As for Q's mysterious tablet-holding cardigan, your guess is as good as mine. :D Oh, and the t-shirt that Q is wearing is also from thinkgeek dot com. :) **

**Now, what will Q do for James for Christmas? Besides the bit of PDA.**

**Also, thank you so much to my friend bearsrawesome for her continued reviews, and her endorsement of this story on her own, 'James Q One-Shots'! You are awesome!**

**I hope you all are enjoying this, I had great fun writing this on my Mountain Dew, hyped up brain. Merry Christmas everyone!**

** Reviews/comments welcome!**


	16. Chapter 16

James is completely focused on Q now, smirking a little as he looks down at the other man, leaning over toward him a little. "Tease." he says quietly, though he also likes the way that Q said 'back home', as if they would be going back to the same place, perhaps their home. That's a nice thought but he's not getting his hopes up.

Q finishes and hands the phones back to Sherlock, nodding a little as his brother thanks him, before he turns his attention up to James, smiling a little as he leans back in his chair. "Well, I'll have to think of something to give you.." He then considers. "But for now, I think I'd like some tea." He says before he gets up, moving over to the side bar which is away from most of the others, smirking when he feels James get up and follow him. "You aren't my bodyguard, James." He points out as he gets his tea.

A small chuckle comes from behind Q before James puts a hand on the other man's waist. "You're right. I'm not. I just happen to enjoy being close to you." he says simply with a little smile. But the smile fades after a few moments as he decides to get himself a cup of coffee, looking a little troubled as he goes about that.

"What is it, James?" Q asks, seeing the look on the older man's face, gently placing his hand on the other's arm while he takes a sip of his tea.

A small, sad smile is given as he looks over at Q. "Just thinking about what will happen when we leave here. You'll go back to your flat, I'll go back to my hotel, and tomorrow we're back to work." he says quietly, reaching out to touch Q's cheek for a moment. "I'll miss waking up with you in my arms, that's all." he says with a shrug, at least striving to be honest, and slowly dropping his hand away, his icy blue eyes shifting away from Q, not comfortable with how much he's revealing, trying to go back to his usual nonchalant self so he doesn't feel so vulnerable.

"Well if you're going to pout about it, I suppose you could come over to mine tonight." Q says with amusement as he watches Bond, shaking his head. "But don't get used to it." He says in a firm tone as he watches James. "It's only because it's Christmas. And no one should be alone on Christmas." He decides, adjusting his glasses a little.

"Did you have time to hide your porn collection?" James asks casually as he looks at Q sideways for a few moments, trying to catch the man off-guard a little perhaps, taking another drink of his coffee.

It's a very good thing that Q's back is to the rest of the room, as his face turns a pretty shade of pink, all the way to his ears, and he nearly chokes on his tea. He clears his throat for a few moments, giving James his best disapproving glare. "I do not have a porn collection. How crass." He says with a little shake of his head, watching James suspiciously as he takes another drink of his tea.

James smirks a little. "You look shockingly guilty." he considers, then adds, "Alright, maybe not the sorts of magazines that make grown men blush.. But I'm sure you have something. Since you have a rather active imagination. Do you have a celebrity crush, then?" He asks playfully before he leans in to whisper in Q's ear. "Did you imagine someone like that when you would get off, before?"

Q swallows hard as he watches James, feeling a bit like a cornered animal, shuddering a little at the whisper in his ear but he maintains his composure. "I am not discussing something like that with you here, in my parents' house, with my brothers not ten feet away." he hisses, glaring a little at James as he finishes his tea and puts the cup to the side where it will no doubt be picked up by one of the staff and taken away to be cleaned.

Shrugging a little in a nonchalant manner, James finishes his coffee as well and he smirks a little at his companion. "Pity. I really would like to know the answer." he says with a slight smirk as he looks at the younger man, shaking his head before he steps close to him. "And while I will deny ever pouting, thank you for inviting me to yours tonight." he says before his eyes slide down to Q's cardigan. "Now, seriously.. where did you hide that tablet?" he asks, moving his cardigan aside to try and look at the inside, hand getting slapped at again but this time he's not deterred a easily.

Q ends up swatting at James and finally grabbing his wrist. "A bloke's got to have some mystery to him, can't have you figuring out everything at once. Would you stop, James!" he scolds, huffing a little. "I swear, you are like a twelve year old sometimes." he says with a shake of his head, releasing James' wrist before he straightens his cardigan, shaking his head a little.

Deciding to push his luck a little, James smirks a little, leaning in and kissing Q's lips softly for a moment. "I'm sorry. Can't help myself. I really hate those cardigans." he mutters, glaring at the offending piece of clothing before he looks back into Q's eyes.

The younger man snickers a little as he looks around, "Well, thankfully you have no say in my wardrobe." He says simply as he looks around for a moment, sighing as he watches people talking and laughing as they discuss their presents. But thankfully some people are starting to trickle away which means they can leave soon.

Ellie comes over to the two and she smiles. "Merry Christmas, Ford!" She says happily, giving him a tight hug. "And a Merry Christmas to you as well, James." She says with a smile, giving him a hug as well, before she gives them a sly grin. "I see you two have made up, after last night.."

Returning the hug a little awkwardly, James smirks a little as he looks over at Q, looking him over as he remembers the night before. "Yes, we worked a few things out." he says casually.

A little surprised, Q returns the hug with a fond smile at Ellie. "What do you mean, work things out? We weren't fighting last night, Ellie. The only person I have fought with in the last few days is Mycroft." He says with a little shake of his head. "Are you off?" He asks as he watches his favorite cousin.

A small smile comes from the woman as she nods slowly. "Yeah, we're getting ready to go. And if it weren't for me, you would have been lonely brooding in your room for much longer than you were." She explains with a little giggle. "I just wanted to say it was good to see you again, and that it was very nice to meet you, James. And Ford, you have to call me sometime so we can have lunch, ok?" She nearly demands as she watches him.

"My work keeps me rather busy, Ellie, but.. when I have a day off, or when I'm forced into a day off, I'll give you a ring, alright?" Q asks as he looks at her, "It was good to see you again." he says honestly with a small nod of his head.

Ellie smiles a little and then nods. "Alright, alright.. you have my number." She says before she smiles, kissing Ford's cheek. "Happy Holidays." She says before she waves, moving back over to where her parents are, sine she got a ride with them.

Relaxing a little after she's gone, Q smiles as he looks over at James. "Well, that's encouraging, people are starting to leave. Lets go pack our things up, shall we?" he asks, before he goes to collect his presents from the floor near his chair, before he walks out, followed by James, leading him back up to their room.

Once inside, Q turns around and leans in to give James a lingering kiss. "Thank you for the brilliant presents." He says quietly, before he goes over to pack those presents neatly into his suitcase, putting the other clothes in it as well.

More than happy with that response, James watches the younger man, smirking before he goes and packs up both their suits back into garment bags, getting their toiletries from the bathroom and then packing his bag up quickly and efficiently, used to packing up in a hurry.

Once they had everything packed and did a once-over of the room in general to make sure nothing was forgotten, the two men slipped out, happy to be leaving this place. They know they still have to say goodbye's to Mummy and Mycroft but that shouldn't take too much time.

Apparently they aren't the only ones with thoughts of escape though, as they run into John and Sherlock in the hallway not too far from their own doors.

"Leaving?" John asks with a little smirk. "You two look as eager to leave a we are." He admits with a sheepish smile, running a hand through his blonde-gray hair, before he offers one to Ford. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Ford. You should come 'round to Baker Street sometime, I'd love to get to know you and hear more about what Sherlock was like when he was younger." he says with a little smirk, glancing at his flatmate. "And it was nice to meet you as well, James. Make sure Ford looks after himself. If he's anything like Sherlock, he'll need it." he says with a little smirk, shaking both their hands firmly.

"Thank you." Q says as he looks at John. "It was nice to meet you as well. I've heard about you from Sherlock and Mycroft, so it's nice to meet you finally. I'm glad to see that my brother is finally happy." He says quietly with a nod of his head, but he looks unhappy about the 'take care of him' comment, huffing a bit. As if he's incapable of taking care of himself!

The huffing just seems to amuse both James and John for different reasons, but he returns John's handshake with a little smile, leaning a little closer. "And it was nice to meet you, John. And you, Sherlock." he says the last as an afterthought. "We should get together for a drink sometime." he says with a slight smirk. Yeah, maybe he's flirting a little, but only to confirm a suspicion.

Before John can reply, Sherlock puts his hand over on that same spot on his shoulder, squeezing lightly and making John wince. "Sherlock!" The doctor scolds lightly, pushing his hand away, revealing a brief glimpse of what could be a bruise but it's too fast to find out for sure.

James just smirks a little. "Merry Christmas, you two." he says before he urges Ford forward again. When they're out of earshot, the double-oh smirks a little. "Someone got rowdy last night." he says mysteriously with a slight smirk.

Q glances over at the other an in surprise, eyebrows going up for a few moments. "What are you going on about?" he asks, sounding confused.

"I've seen, and experienced enough love bites in my time to know a possessive lover when I see one." James says with a little smirk. "Your brother was a little overzealous with John it seems." He explains, smirking a little over at Q.

"Fond of leaving marks, are you, Bond?" Q asks coolly, not having wanted that image in his head, but the idea of Bond marking anyone else as his makes him a little upset as well. Not that he'd ever admit to that.

Not able to help himself, James chuckles a little and pulls Q into a side hallway, before he presses Q back against a wall slowly. "Not really. Not visible ones anyway. If I leave a mark, I prefer it to be in an intimate place, somewhere only a lover would see." he says quietly as he watches Q, licking his lips a little. "Why? Would you want me to leave little love bites on you to remind you of me when I'm gone?" he asks with a little smirk as he watches the other man, not doing anything besides just keeping him trapped against the wall.

Despite his best efforts, Q feels heat rise into his cheeks as he watches James, but he keeps his composure, giving the double-oh a bored look. "You have a rather high opinion of yourself, Bond." he says slowly. "What makes you think I would want you to leave bruises like that?" he points out with a challenging eyebrow raised.

Another small smirk is given from the older agent, and he watches Q for a few moments. He leans in to give him a soft kiss that he lets linger for a moment before he steps back.

"Someday, Q.. I will see you completely undone, and begging me to mark you."

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**Sorry this took so long to update! I've been having trouble with accessing my account the last few days.**

**This is rapidly coming to a close, folks, one or two more chapters at most, I think. I will try to get another chapter up tonight if I can, to make up for my apalling lack of posting. If anyone has any ideas for the sequel, feel free to let me know!**

**Reviews/Comments welcome, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!**


	17. Chapter 17

A snort of disbelief from Q before they head downstairs, leaving their bags by the door while a car is brought around for them. They finally head back into the study, Q taking a deep breath as he approaches Mummy and Mycroft. "We'll be leaving now, Mummy." He says, then adds, "Merry Christmas, thank you for inviting us." In a stiff, formal tone.

Victoria Holmes looks up and she smiles sadly. "I wish you would stay longer, Sherrinford.. You know, it's far too dangerous out there.." She say as she steps over, putting her hand on Ford's cheek.

Jerking his head away from his mother, Q frowns a little. "Goodbye, Mummy." he says simply, then he looks at Mycroft. "Mycroft. Do try and keep your nose where it belongs. Remember what I said." he says before he turns, grabbing James' hand and pulling him out.

"Your mother just won't give up. I'm glad you work in a highly classified job in which it was necessary to erase you from public records. I'd be afraid of her kidnapping you." James admits honestly as he looks at Q, putting his arm around the younger man and holding him close against his side as they go to the door. "Don't worry.. you'll be back in your flat in no time, in your horrible sweaters surrounded by your technology." he says with a little smirk, helping the younger man into his jacket after slipping on his own. When the car is pulled around, their bags are packed into it before they get into the back seat. James turns in the seat, dragging Q over until the younger man's back is against the agent's chest, and he slides his arms around him comfortably. "There. Better?" he offers as he watches him.

Q relaxes a little when they're in the car, willingly letting himself be manhandled so that he's resting back against James, closing his eyes and putting his hands over the agents' arms around him, one leg staying on the floor of the car, the other extending over the seat as he gets comfortable, closing his eyes for a few moments. It's a balm, after being around the caustic atmosphere of his childhood home, to be held by someone that apparently cares for him, and truly wants to make him happy. "Thank you, James. I don't think I could have done this without you. At least, if I did, I wouldn't have gone back to London as stable as I feel now.." he says quietly, turning his head a little, his forehead and nose brushing James' neck for a moment before he turns his head back straight so that his glasses aren't jabbing into the other man.

Lowering his head a little, James kisses the side of Q's head, then the top softly, giving him a little squeeze. "You've saved me many times over by now, Q.. it's the least I can do. Besides, it worked out rather well for me, I think." he says with a little smile as he nuzzles against his hair for a moment, then lightly kisses his ear. "Rest now, my Quartermaster." he says quietly with a small smile. "It's over, and you won't have to go back for a whole year. Maybe I can arrange a mission with M that means you just can't leave Q-branch for the holidays.. or maybe something that requires you to come with me." He says thoughtfully as he watches Q's profile for a few moments. "Anything to keep you away from that wretched house.

Q chuckles a little and then he sighs softly and nods. "That sounds nice, James... thank you." He says quietly, closing his eyes slowly before he lets out a slow breath and relaxes, releasing the tension in his shoulders and back, head limply back against James's shoulder now.

"Merry Christmas, 007."

"Merry Christmas, Quartermaster."

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**That's it, folks. I FINISHED A STORY! For like, the first time ever. Sorry if this feels kind of rushed and not up to the same quality as my other chapters, but I was seriously running out of ideas of what to do with this story, so I had to get it to the end. I am going to try and figure out something to do with this one for a sequel if anyone is interested. If you have any ideas for that that would be fantastic. I really do adore this pairing, I'm just not so good at the special agent stuff. **

**I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this, and thank you so much for all the lovely reviews, and the favs/follows. I am shocked and flattered that this story did so well. I only thought it was some silly idea I had one night when I was half-awake. Please look into my other stories if you enjoyed this one.**

**As always, I welcome any reviews/comments. Thank you!**


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